After the Love Story In an OR
by AMFADAAMFAG
Summary: Jace Herondale and Clary Fray are married and in love. Clary, a Surgeon who is overly dedicated to her job, puts her job in front of her marriage. Jace, a detective that suffered sexual abuse. The night Jace gives Clary an ultimatum (him or her job) all his secrets of his job start unraveling. How does it connect to Clary?
1. Prepared to Strike

**This chapter has been edited! Please enjoy! Beta: Divergent4Everdeen.**

She had gotten married, secretly, to a detective, Jace Herondale. She was a surgeon at New York Medicare, aka NYMC.

She was the winner of awards for her upstanding work in the medical field. As a surgeon, she didn't want to risk the downfall of her career by getting married. But as she tried not to, she did get married. She had fallen deeply in love with her husband, Jace.

If love at first sight existed, they had it.

Jace, who worked from home in his office sometimes, understood that Clary had work, and was gone long hours. Clary also understood that when Jace locked himself in his office, it was because he was stressing. They understood each other, and it made them love each other more.

But Jace always felt underappreciated by Clary when it came to being public about their relationship.

Whenever they talked about it, it resulted in Jace leaving and going to work at the office building. In those times, he pushed himself harder, getting his mind off his relationship drama. Then, after, he would go to the gym and work out until he felt calm enough to go home.

So, they always ignored this little situation between the two of them. But it was there, keeping them from fully being one couple. One fluid movement. One being, as a married couple should be.

Jace felt that Clary was ashamed of him. Clary was frustrated that he didn't understand.

But they did talk about everything that wasn't that small predicament.

And as for tonight, it started out like any other night.

* * *

 _Clary was cooking dinner. Izzy, her co-worker, best friend, and adopted sister of her husband, was coming over for dinner with her husband, Simon, who also happened to be another one of Clary's best friends._

 _Jace wrapped his arms around Clary's waist. She laughed, "Jace, I am busy." She scolded playfully. Her voice rippled through the apartment._

 _"Busy?" He_ _paused before whispering into her ear, "This isn't busy. Busy requires a bed or a counter of some sort." He_ _hugged her closer to him, kissing her neck._

 _He slid his hands down the front of her pockets. He started rubbing through the cloth, earning a moan from Clary._

 _He stopped suddenly. Clary whined, her lips pouted. She started to ask why he stopped, but Jace tried grabbing something. She felt him tense behind her, slipping his hands out of her pocket and unfolding a piece of paper._

 _Clary tensed. Turning around, she looked up to see his eyes growing cold and angry. "What the hell is this?" Jace demanded, his voice strained. Clary's heart beat jumped._

 _She wasn't scared of her husband. No, they respected each other. But Clary was scared of how this night would unfold._

 _"Some guy at work gave me his number. No big deal." Clary replied calmly, trying to keep the air around her light and peaceful._

 _"I wonder why." Jace said harshly, pulling away. His neck was slowly turning_ _red with anger._

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, knowing exactly what he meant. The air officially shifted, turning from calm - easy_ _to tense and hard._

 _She sucked in an audible breath._

 _"I mean, the fact that people just ask you out, when you're married because you refuse to acknowledge it." Jace spat at her, his words venom to her. Purposely trying to hurt her._

 _"What-" she started, her face getting red with anger. She doesn't acknowledge their marriage, bull shit!_

 _"You treat it as some fling. Secret. No one knows. Is our relationship-_ marriage _so valueless to you that you won't see it as something - something serious enough to tell people?" He looked down at her, his eyes cold, but they still held that small, pinch of love._

 _"Of course I do. This," she said, motioning her finger between the two of them, "Means everything-"_

 _"After your work." He_ _stopped her. It wasn't a question, but a statement. "You won't tell anyone about our relationship because of your job." He said sternly._

 _"Yes. I thought you understood that. I love my job - "_

 _He cut her off with a dry, short laugh. It made the hairs on her arms stand up._

 _"You love your job more than me." He sighed, leaning back on the counter. "Just admit it. That's the one thing that isn't said but is known."_

 _"Our friends are coming soon. Let's talk about this after. Okay?"She replied, ignoring his accusation, that may or may not be true. Was it true? She didn't know. Would she save her marriage or her job?_

 _"See." He said carelessly, he too ignoring her previous statement. "Your thinking it. You won't say it, but you know it. You would do anything for your career." He paused, his face washed over with amusement, but his eyes showed hurt and pain. "You would cheat on me to save your career, wouldn't you? You would divorce me as well. I will always be second." He paused, chuckling. "I bet you already did cheat on me, just to prove you weren't in a relationship."_

" _I would never cheat on you." She searched his face. Did he really believe that? Her heart felt heavy, sharp pains racked her body. Her own husband - the man she entrusted everything with - actually believed that she would divorce-cheat on him for her job! The thing that hurt the most was that she didn't know what she would choose._

 _"If you really believe that, then leave. Why are you married to me?" Her_ _eyes were watering. Their fights, no matter how large, had never gotten to the point of divorce._

 _"Because I can't!" He groaned, he put his hands on her cheeks, hoisting her up on the counter. "You are my soulmate!" His voice softened, but not in a loving, longing way. In a vulnerable, tired way.. "But I am not yours. And I can't leave you. So you have to do it for me." His voice cracked._

 _Clary felt horrible. She really didn't know what she loved more. She got a high from cutting into the skin of the patient, but she got a high from laughing, talking, and_ _kissing Jace._

 _"I don't know." Clary sobbed into Jace's hands. He paused before pulling away harshly._

 _"Figure it out then." He said walking away, grabbing his coat from the rack and keys from the key hanger. "Until then, I won't waste my time with someone who doesn't love me enough to be committed to me."_

 _"Are you going to sleep with someone at some bar?" She_ _asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She wouldn't blame him. He feels as if she doesn't care, so why should he. She wouldn't be angry, they probably wouldn't last. He couldn't be with her. And he was so hurt._

 _Jace stopped in his tracks. He tensed, but said nothing. He continued again, opening the door. Clary crumbled to the ground, sobbing. The only sound coming from the apartment was heart breaking sobs that came from the distraught thirty-four-year old on the floor._

 _Izzy came barging in, her eyes wide. "Clare! What happened?" Izzy kneeled down in front of her, Simon behind her. "Jace was walking off, anger practically radiating off of him."_

 _"Did he hurt you?" Simon asked cautiously._

 _"No," she sobbed. "I hurt him. If he hurt me, I would sure as hell fight back." She tried to bring herself up._

 _"I don't know where he is going. Or who is he going with."_

 _"You mean cheat?" Simon asked completely shocked. Clary nodded._

 _"I asked if he was going to sleep with someone else, and he didn't say anything. Doesn't matter, I'm not mad. He probably doesn't see this as a real relationship anymore. And I know that he thinks that I think that I cheated on him, and that I don't care."_

* * *

 _Jace was just so angry. And when Clary asked about sleeping with someone else, he didn't know. Too Jace, Clary obviously didn't_ _see the relationship as something, so why should he?_

 _He walked into the Pandemonium, a club in Brooklyn. He went straight to the bar and sat down and ordered a Tequila shot._

 _Soon after he sat down, a woman_ _came up to him. "Hey Jace. Been a while."_

 _"Yeah, Kalie, it has." He nodded in agreement. She and Jace used to be lovers; not anything exclusive, just sex dates._

 _"You still seeing that girl?" She asked, sitting down next to him._

 _"If I told you no, would you take me to the back?" He asked, his voice low._

 _"Of course, just don't tell my new lover." She bit her lip, teasingly._

 _"But what if I told you I married her?" He asked, his voice husky. Jace felt guilty about doing this, but Clary had hurt him over and over. And he was sure they were getting divorced, even if that broke his heart more than anything else._

 _She went to his ear, whispering, "Well, in that case, you'll have to try extra hard, you know," she_ _licked his neck "To make me forget that fact." Their lips were millimeters apart, almost touching. Almost cheating._

 _He moved his hand to her thigh, making her suck in a breath. Then the hand slowly crept up her dress till it reached her underwear, or where it should be. He was very happy to find her in the same state as him._

 _Aroused._

 _No one got him as aroused as Clary did, but this would do. Oh, this would do just fine._

 _"Let's take this to the back." She whispered into his ear. He got up, and she took his hand, guiding him through the bustling, loud and youthful dance floor, and into the 'Restricted Access' room._

 _Little did he know that someone was watching him. They watched Jace as he was taken to the back room. They watched him as he flirted and seduced a woman._

 _They slipped into the room behind the distracted couple._

 _They heard the conversation._

 _They knew the information._

 _And they were prepared to strike._

* * *

 _Jace and Kalie were filling the rooms with their moans and grunts that came from the loud passionate sex they were having. Their clothes had come off, being flung throughout the room._

 _Jace imagined Clary scraping her nails down his back instead of Kalie, but this was enough for him to forget the pain, the hurt, the betrayal._

 _The pleasure over took him, blocking out everything except the moans that came from the two of them, so naturally, he didn't hear the shuffling of people walking in, or the quiet, but apparent, sound of the door opening and closing, or the click of the gun (A/N: I don't know how guns work)._

 _All he heard other than their sounds was the gun firing, and Kalie's scream as he got shot in the chest. After that, everything went black for Jace._


	2. Not Personal

**Hi! So this was originally going to be a two-shot where Jace dies in the first chapter and in the second part Clary gets the call that he died. But, I actually want to make this into a story! And so, I will update this Mondays or Tuesday(probably). Like this weekend I would have worked on it, but on thursday I went to the E.R, and friday I was sick and I rested Saturday and Sunday, then yesterday I went again and got admitted, so I stayed the night(Side note: Do you know how hard it is to text when your a right-y, and the I.V is in your right arm? I had to use my left hand! Impossible).**

 **Also, to anyone who wants Clary to leave Jace, the whole point of him cheating is to show that there is something wrong with there relationships on both accounts. So if Clary were to leave him, it would not be because he had been unfaithful. I believe that in specific circumstances, the other person should get a second chance, like this one. (But like a continous affair is something I find disrespectful. But like a drunken hook-up after a nasty fight...)**

 **That will not mean that there wont be trust issues, or Jace sleeping on the couch some nights, because I guarantee you that I would love to see/write a scene where Jace grumbles about sleeping on the couch.**

 **Don't like my views on infidelity, dont read.**

* * *

Clary couldn't believe her night turned out like this. When Izzy had called, she figured the night would be filled with witty banter, funny conversation and good food. Certainly not a sobbing a person, a comforting person, and a tense, confused person.

Her husband had left her.

She had burnt dinner.

She had caused a small scene.

She had a cheating husband, who was cheating on her, probably.

 _And all because I didn't clear out my pockets,_ Clary thought, her own thoughts taunting her. _So stupid; You wanted him to leave you; You didn't actually love him._

"Hey Clare, you need to stop going into your thoughts. Think about something else." Izzy offered, smiling encouraginly. "Think about work."

" _Work_?" Clary asked breathlessly, "the thing that started this whole mess? Yeah, okay." Clary rolled her eyes. She didn't want to be so mean, but she couldn't help it. All these hurtful feelings she had towards herself, had come out, and started attacking her friends.

"Come on. You need some fast paced work. Nothing is as good as emergency surgery." Clary nudged her.

Clary nodded, wiping her tears and nose with her hand. "Yeah, I'll offer to work in the E.R." Clary nodded in confidence. _Stop moping. If he loves you, he will come back_ , Clary thought with no doubt in her mind that Jace loved her.

* * *

Clary had changed into her scrubs,(A/N I know nothing about medical stuff) waiting. Realizing that she hadn't had dinner because of the fight that occured earlier that night, she went to the caferteria to get some food. As she sat down, the food in her hand,(A/N I know nothing except that I think they have pagers?)she got a page. She looked down.

 _911_ \- E.R

Clary shot up, knocking her food over. She sprinted to the E.R and saw them wheeling in a gurney to a room. She barged in. Nurses and residents talking over each other.

Later in the night, Clary would have been informed that two people were shot. A man and a women.

She looked down at the patient and she gasped. No one heard it over the machines beeping and people ordering medicine, but she had. She heard her gasp. Her surprise. Her shock.

The man laying on the gurney in front of her, but naked, was her husband.

She stood their frozen, too in shock to move, staring at the chest that she had seen, touched, kissed so many times before. It was almost nauseating. It _was_ nauseating.

"Dr. Fray?" a nurse asked as she approached her quickly, surgical gloves in her hand. Clary couldn't think.

Her husband.

The man she loved.

In front of her.

That's when she noticed the wound. The bullet wound in his chest. _He was shot_ , Clary thought, panic flooding her chest

This was the choice. The choice to end her career or the choice to put her emotions in front of her and endanger her husband.

She willed herself to step forward, making a choice she would later regret. She prepped him for emergency surgery, and ordered and O.R.

* * *

Clary had just performed surgery on her husband. She had her hands in her husband's chest. She has truly seen everything of him. His chest. His organs. His penis. His face. His ass. And Clary didn't know what, maybe it was the shock of the whole ordeal, but she laughed. She laughed hysterically. She gripped the railings of the scrub sin. After a while, she hadn't stopped laughing. After a while, the laughing turned into a panic attack, it always was one. She clawed at her chest, trying to breathe.

"Dr. Fray?" a nurse asker from behind her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you. It was just really intense." she said, calming down. It really was intense. Jace had nearly died several times. The bullet was terrifyingly close to his heart and aorta. She hadn't been able to move when Jace was coding so she snapped at the residents more than she usually did.

* * *

Clary couldn't come up with an excuse to stay with her patient-Husband-all the time, so she was stuck to hourly check ups and stalking him outside his room at the nurse reception desk, having idle small chat.

Clary, even though she wanted Jace to be healthy, didn't want him to wake up from sleeping. She knew what would follow.

Divorce.

And that was scary. Especially if he knew that she performed the surgery. She also didn't know if anyone came into identify him, or if anyone called his emergency contact, Alec, his adoptive brother. _Maybe I should call him?_ Clary though as a way to soften the blow. Alec was currently having a vacation with his husband Magnus, who works at the morgue. Such a depressing job for someone with so much life, everyone always said about him once he told the his occupation.

* * *

Jace awoke to the white cealing of the hospitital that he could identify by just the smell.

He heard the beeps of a monitor, cluing him that he was a patient. And then Jace's memories came rushing back. He was most defenitley not in the back the Pandemonium.

He looked straight-forward and saw the most beautiful red hair he had ever seen., and he kne wit belonged to the amazing Dr. Fray, his wife. She too, saw him and completely zoned out of her previous conversation, focusing on Jace. She abruptly got up and walked towards, blushing slightly at the attention but ignored it.

She walked in the room, kicking the door closed behind her. Then closed the blinds of the window of his room. Jace always hated the ICU, every one could look in.

She checked his vitals, before kissing his cheek. He savored the touch of her lips on his skin, which warmed up his body.

He tried to speak, but found that he could not. Clary understanding poured a cup of water and sipped it to him. Jace didn't like it when people helped him, but cherished Clary's gentleness.

Once he found his voice, he let out the hateful, spiteful words out, instantly regretting it. "I see that you chose the job," he nodded, "Don't take this personally," he then realized talking was taking a lot out of him, he turned to heavy breaths. "But, I request a new doctor." He saw the hurt cross her face, but it quickly left, replaced by acceptance and sternness.

She nodded, "Of course, just can you tell me before I leave, do you feel any discomfort?" he shook his head, and let it fall back, hearing the footsteps and the door open and close.

He knew he hurt her, and that hurt him. But if anything Clary thought him, it was to have respect for yourself and others, to care for yourself as well. And Jace didn't think that letting yourself be second to a inanimate thing, wasn't respectful.

For once, Jace was going to care for himself, he just hoped that this relationship could be salvaged. He just wants to fix this gap, that seemingly was always their.

But Jace felt guilt for causing this pain.

He felt guilt for lying to her.

He felt guilt for not telling her the truth about her job.

He felt guilt for the infidelity.

And he knew that he had to fix this. Jace tried to even out his breaths, but the guilt ate at him. It caused an emotional pain in him. It caused a stir in his stomach. He felt a heavy weight on his heart. And he knew it wasn't because of the surgery.

But at the back of his mind, he worried for Kalie, who was also his friend.


	3. Secrets of A Sureon

"Hello, Mr. Herondale. I hear you wanted a change in doctors, Why?" a nurse asked, confused and light-heartedness laced in her question. She was chubby, with blue eyes and blonde, silky hair in a ponytail. She had an engagement ring on her left ring finger.

It was a genuine question. Clary was, according to all her patients, awards, and surgeries, an amazing surgeon. The nurse placed the cold stethoscope on his chest moving it around, telling him to breathe deep breaths.

"Call me Jace, and I know she's amazing, but I would like to pursue a relationship with her, and if she were my doctor that would be highly unprofessional, don't you think?" Jace answered swiftly as if it were the truth. His training as a police officer helped him with talking and lying. He knew the truth, she was his wife, and no matter how angry he was with her, he couldn't ruin her career, not like she ruined his heart.

"Pursue a relationship?" the nurse snorted, "Good luck with that. The women basically swore off men." she continued to take his vitals, putting some sort of finger machine on his finger.

"I mean, the women don't sleep with anyone-" the nurse started, but was cut off by Jace as he realized this woman was his wife's friend. He could tell by the way she spoke easily about her as if she knew everything.

"Your friends with her?" he asked, looking at the nurse, his voice low.

"Yeah, we do many surgeries together." she shrugged, she wrote down his stats that were shown on the small screen. The nurse's lightheartedness became tense and colder. She glanced down at his left ring finger, eyeing it with an accusatory look. "You're married?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"And you're looking for women?" then her face softened. "Are you getting divorced-" Jace didn't want to answer. He didn't know what to answer. He easily could have lied and said it was his late wife's, but the nurse gave him a look that inclined him to tell the truth, and he wouldn't - couldn't - do that.

"You're being awfully personal." he pointed out.

"I'm sorry, your right. That was unprofessional and rude of me. There's just something about you that seems so...mysterious, or like you could solve the reason why Dr. Fray is so keen on rejecting men." she said, her voice showing small frustration, groaning softly at the end.

"I assure you, I'm just a guy who got shot." he grinned, his eyes twinkling.

* * *

"Hey Susan," Clary greeted her favorite scrub nurse, "how was the patient - Jace," she asked as she came up to her. Her voice eager and worried.

"Mr. Herondale? Oh, he's great. Vitals: Great. I think he could get discharged in two weeks at this rate." She didn't ask about her relationships or any secrets she may have, which was a relief to Clary, who was scared that Jace would blow her cover.

Clary laughed awkwardly. She didn't want Jace home, even if she wanted him to be healthy and fine. She didn't want to have _the_ talk. The divorce talk. "That's fantastic. So...who is his new doctor?"

"Tessa gray." Clary practically choked. Tessa Gray; Jace's sister in law. "But she doesn't work here," Clary said, a stern confusion in her voice, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, she was just transferred here from Hopkins." she nodded in a distant awe. Tessa was married to Will Herondale, Jace's brother.

"What about her husband?" Clary asked, not giving names.

"Husband? She's married?" Susan asked taken aback.

"Yeah, were close family friends." It was true; Jace and Clary had met through Will and Tessa. Tessa was ten years older then Clary, and Will was eight years older then Jace. Tessa was originally married to James Carstairs, who died of drug overdose after suffering from depression once hearing the news that Tessa and he lost their child. "They got married ten years ago."

"Oh, I don't know."

"Yeah, Will and she are like family to me." Clary nodded.

"Tessa, I missed you," Clary said earnestly, hugging the brown-haired women. "It's been so long since we've seen each other."

"I know," Tessa groaned, "Last time we saw each other was at the four year wedding anniversary," Tessa paused, "I think?" she said as an afterthought.

"Wait, you guys haven't seen each other in six years?" Vanessa, a friend of Clary's, asked, straightening from her previous relaxed position next to Susan, who was typing on the computer.

"No, not mine." Tessa laughed, "Ja-" Clary felt a wave of panic wash over her. If Tessa said Jace's name, it alone would raise suspicion in Susan.

"Have you heard from Izzy?" Clary asked, changing the topic. "We have to reunite the 'She-Wolf' pack." Clary grinned. Tessa beamed at the sound of Izzy.

"Oh my God, how are her and Simon?" Tessa asked, her eyes wide. Tessa was always so curious.

"Fine. Super, they're at my house, dealing with crap-"

"Oh my god. Are they okay?"

"No, no." She reassured her, "It's not them." Clary said frustrated, but she didn't want to elaborate-she couldn't elaborate.

"Oh, I'm sorry. So who was I transferred to? I'm excited. I mean, I took this job up just so I had a reason to come and see you." Tessa grinned, a small laugh escaped her lips.

"Actually," Clary said hesitantly, biting her lip. "I need to speak to you in private."

Tessa's eyebrows furrowed, her voice hesitant and cautious, "Why?" she said slowly. Clary shook her head and led her to Jace's room, leaving there friends who were baffled at their discreetness.

* * *

When they entered, Jace was asleep. Clary sighing in relief, closed the door, the blinds already closed from before.

Tessa was staring at Clary the whole time, who looked nervous. Nervous at what? Tessa didn't know. That was until she turned her attention to the sleeping patient.

Her eyes widened, her mouth agape. She rushed to his side, throwing her bag on the chair beside his bed. "Clare! What happened?"

"He was shot." Clary squeaked, feeling fragile and weak. She slumped down at the end of his bed, letting her sobs free. She couldn't do this before because no one knew the truth, but now she had Tessa.

"Clare," Tessa said softly, sitting next to her, almost sitting on Jace's toes. She always had a knack for comforting people. Tessa had no words. She tried to comfort her, but all that came out were strangled sounds. In the end, Tessa just sat there, holding her in silence.

"Jace and I aren't doing so well." Clary finally said. Tessa didn't understand. Sensing Tessa's confusion, Clary elaborated: "We fought and he stormed out and he got shot, and during the fight, divorce was thrown on the table." Clary choked on a sob. Remembering the night before caused a dull ache in her chest, making her gasp silently when she spoke. Her heart as clenching and unclenching. "The job or him, and I didn't know." Clary whimpered, her chin wobbling.

"You still don't want anyone to know, do you?" Clary nodded. "I say you guys just talk-"

"I performed the surgery." Tessa flinched at her words, visibly shocked at her actions, "I refused to let anyone know I was married to him, so I did it. And he found out and were getting divorced."

"Clare..."

* * *

When Tessa and Clary came out of the room, Susan watched intently. Susan was suspicious about Clary. Very suspicious.

But Susan had grown to actually like Clary over the years, slowly becoming friends. At first, it may have been a coy set up by Valentine to gather as much information about Clary, but now she didn't want to endanger the women unless there was actually important. But something about that patient seemed unsteady.

Especially the fact that Clary herself was unsteady. When she was in surgery, operation on the man she was tense and very hyper, alarming Susan. She was very curious about the patient. She went inside that very same patients room with Dr. Gray and came out looking distraught.

And why would anyone switch doctors when they Dr. Fray, was what Susan thought. The whole thing was ludicrous to her. It didn't make sense.

Susan had heard the whole conversation with Tessa, Clary, and Vanessa. And Vanessa was right. If they were so close, then why hadn't they seen each other in six years. Then a shock came to Susan, maybe the patient and Clary were ex-lovers. Too, Susan, it seemed perfect. It explains why Clary cares but isn't with men: Her heart was broken.

Liking her theory, Susan investigated. She went to the reception desk and looked up about Tessa Gray. And never before had Susan thanked God that Valentine was her boss. She was able to hack into staff records.

She searched the system for Tessa Gray. It took a few minutes to locate it, all her files had been transferred when she moved to this hospital, which made her job all that much easier.

She opened the file, first, she saw her medical records and saw that she had a miscarriage at twenty-eight. She scrolled down more, finding that she had been married prior to her supposed husband, Will, to a man named James Carstairs.

She scrolled down and found that she was now married to Will...Herondale?

This confused Susan a great deal. The Patients name was Jonathan Herondale. Then Susan realized that Clary knew Jonathan, and pretty well, too. Looking back at her prior conversations, Susan remembered that Clary knew his name. His preferred name.

All the clues fit in, but something didn't make sense If Jace and Clary knew each other why would he want to ask her out. And if he knew her the whole time, why did he lie. Then it hit her, it couldn't be clearer if it was right in front of her face, they were married. It explained the ring, the reason why he liked her-he loved her, why he asked to switch doctors, why Tessa and Clary knew each other. They weren't talking about her and Will's fourth anniversary, they were talking about Jace and Clary's.

Susan hated it, but now that she had cracked Clary Fray, he had to report it to Valentine Morgenstern. Her Father.

 **Hi! Just wanted to apologize if Tessa was OOC. I don't really know Tessa as a character. I have not finished The Infernal Devices, I only know what happens because I had to know If Wessa happened *Sniff* So yeah!**


	4. One step forward and Two steps backwards

Clary had always loved her wedding, seeing it as the one moment in her life where she didn't care about the stressful situations in her life. Just her husband and her, entranced by their love, standing up in front of all their closest friends and family - anyone who knew about their relationship.

Jace knew that Clary didn't want anyone to know she was married, and at first he was okay with this. He had thought long and hard before actually going up and professing her love to "God" - not than both of them really believed in it in the first place. Jace thought that God existed, but he didn't have faith in him, didn't have faith in his help or word - He thought of how his life would have been if he were in a secret relationship, and he thought of all the con's, but none of the con's seemed to add up to the big number of the pro's; he would love her uncondionally for the rest of his life.

Sure, Jace had been emotionally and physically abused by a man till he was sixteen, making him distrustful towards anything romantic or passionate till he saw a therapist. After seeing a therapist for two years, he was able to go out and actually sleep with a women, which to Jace was a big acomplishment. But after a while, he wanted more, craved more. He wanted love and family. His therapist, who he had gone back too after realizing he wanted something more, and he didn't know what, convinced him that what he wanted was love and family.

All the while, he was training to be a police officer. He didn't know why, but he had a sadistic love for seeing fear and worry in criminals eyes. He only took cases that possibly lead to death on the scene. He loved seeing the blood stains on peoples shirts, loved seeing the expression of pain on their face's. And the only reason he wasn't a murder, Jace told people when they asked why he loves his job, was that he love the trimphant that he got from catching the people who caused the same pain he had suffered.

But, nonetheless, they got married, with a minister, in a chapel four years ago. They were thirty and Clary was going into her fifth, and final residency. Now they were both thirty four, and in a nasty fight.

Jace told Clary what he went through, things he hadn't told his therapist. There wasn't anyone he trusted more than Clary, and he still does trust her with everything.

So, when Clary came in yesterday with Tessa, his sister-in-law, he pretended to sleep, hoping that Clary didn't realize that he wasn't asleep, having memorized how he slept. So, naturally, he was slightly relieved that she had started sobbing at the foot of his bed. But it sent a pang through him that was sharp, and made it almost impossible to sitifle his gasp. His throat hurt from all the holding of tears. It wasn't the wound that hurt him, but the sounds of Clary sobbing. He had been here for a week, and every night, when no one was looking, she slipped into his room, and slept next to him, sobbing. He was always awake, listening to her, and he just wanted to pull his own heart out to stop it from hurting and thumping his chest. He wanted to sleep so badly when Clary was next to him, but he wouldn't. He knew the quicker he got home, the quicker the talk would happen.

He couldn't sleep, he just wanted to rip all the stuff off and shoot himself in the head. Anything to stop the pain of his broken heart.

These thoughts came to him in the middle of the nights, when Clary was snuggled into his chest, or she was on top of him snoring, because she had fallen asleeo and rolled on him. Jace was depressed, and he knew it, just never admitting it. And the pain that Clary feels only intensifies the ache in his heart and head.

* * *

 _Susan wasn't happy about giving the information in to Valentine, but he was a Morgenstern, and he was powerful. She downloaded the information into a flashfrive, shoving the small object into her pocket. She left the room in a daze._

 _She had to leave. Staying here, and finding out what would happen to Clary, was umbearable to think about for her. Thats why she was going to leave and and bring the evidence to him personally._

* * *

A week later Jace was laying on his hospital bed, restless. He hated every moment of not being able to move, of not being able to let out his frustertion and guilt. He just wanted to be discharged, and now he did want to talk to Clary. To get the guilt and stress of his chest. Their was a discomfort on his chest, but deemed it stress and guilt, ignoring it.

Clary came in regularly, just seeing if he was okay. Nothing but looks exchanged between them, and that's what hurt the most for him; he couldn't talk to the one person he always was always able to tell everything too. The person he was the closest too in every way was so far away. That they had sunk so low.

Sooner rather than later, a doctor came in and did tests on him before telling him that he could be discharged. "Do you have any pain or discomfort?" she asked, fiddling with her pen, tapping it on the tablet screen.

"No," he said, ignoring the pain on his chest, that only intensified as Clary casually strolled in the room. And as he looked around the room trying to calm his nerves, he noticed that the old nurse wasn't there, but he shook it off, figuring she didn't have this shift, and Clary didn't seem worried or confused, either.

"Okay," The doctor smiled brigtly, feighning excitment. Jace knew doctors didn't care _that_ much, he knew, Clary always told him that she would be a great actress because of the amount she acts. "you can be discharged today." he stared at Clary, and all he saw was true relief and excitment for the good news, and that warmed his heart.

Once the doctors left, Clary came up to him and took his hand, kissing it softly. He followed her every movement. "Jace I'm sorry. These past two weeks have been torture, and I see that I couldn't bare to lose you. Not knowing wethear or not I have your support makes sugery so hard. It's why I see that you are my back bone. So I choose you-us." a tear spilled down her cheek, she looked at him with such hopeful eyes he just wanted this whole thing to go away to kiss it away. But he can't because he's made mistakes, and he can't say everything is okay when it's not. "And we can go to therapy..."

"Clary, I cheated on you." he blurted, his eyes wide, not believeing that he actually said that. Her mouth was agape, her eyes wide. She stuttered on words. The pain that was on her face; the way her eyebrows burrowed in cinfusion and disbelief, and the slight frown on her face was nothing to the water pooling in her eyes. The way that she was blinking back tears as her chin wobbled. The way she squeezed his hand so tight that he almost couldn't feel his finger tips. All of it was exruciating. The pain on his chest kept on increasing, clenching and unclenching till his whole chest went numb and the world turned black, only hearing the sound of the machine beeping rapidly.

* * *

Clary thought she would be okay with this but she wasn't. The pain of actually _knowing_ that the man she loved with all her heart could't-It was unbelievable to conceive.

She was in her own world; a world where all her nightmares came to life, and her only life line was Jace's hand, which she was squeezing for dear life. But then she heard the beeps that she never wanted to hear.

Tessa came running in, nurses behind her. A crash cart being pulled up to next the bed. Tessa felt his heart, and when she saw that he was coding, they used the padels. Clary couldn't breathe. _What if he died?_ Clary thought, she was feeling dizzy. The world around her coming to a faze.

"Dr. Fray, we have to get him to surgery." Tessa said, unlocking the bed.

At that, Clary threw up, fainting back words. And she knew she shouldn't be thinking this, but Clary hoped that no one saw that she was holding Jace's hand.


	5. Mama Drama

Clary woke to sounds of machine's beeping around her. She heard the whispers of her colleauges. Sucumbing to her curiosity, Clary, grogily, opened her eyes. She saw a patients room - Her room, Clary realized, her eyes widening.

But the sight that Clary saw was the most surprising. Her mother. Sure, they had fixed their releationships, but it was strained because of her marriage to Jace. She never liked Jace.

Her mother, who had put her up for adoption when her father died, came back into her life four years ago. She showed up miracously at her and Jace's wedding, begging her not to marry him. But, of course, Clary had refused.

Jocelyn Fairchild stood before her, her face flushed with, what Clary could only assume, anger.

"Clary?" Her mother gasped, walking slowly to her side, taking her hand. Another nurse, who was trying to hide her shocked expression, showed up beside her, checking her vitals. "Thank _God_ your okay." Jocelyn said, not a spec of enthusiasm or happiness in her voice - almost sarcasm - but oh, so much bitterness.

"What happened?" Jocelyn exclaimed, "You fainted is what happened!" She shook her in disbelief. She grasped her hand, shedding a singe tear.

Clary looked for her nurse friend for explanation. The nurse was stunned, shocked at everything. "Why did I faint?"

"Stress!" She said angrily. "I knew marrying him would only bring you trouble. Now look at you," she gestured to Clary's form on the bed.

Clary's eyes widened. She was shocked that Jocelyn would reveal that she was married right in front of someone. Clary gasped, glancing at her friend. The nurse nodded, her own eyes wide.

"Oh she knows already. Why else would you be pregnant?" Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "Truly, that man brings everything down. Ruining evrything-"

Clary gulped, interupting her. She grasped her mother's arm tightly. Jocelyn immeidetley stopped talking and looked doen at her arm. "I'm pregnant?"

"I know, I know." Jocelyn kissed her head. "Now you're stuck." She said hopelessley.

Clary knew this was bad timing, horrible timing for that matter, but she couldn't help but feel that swell of happiness that surged in her chest.

"Stop. Don't speak of my child as if it's a burden. It may be bad timing. I would never get rid of it. And Jace...well were barley on speaking terms now. But with this baby I am going to try." Clary snapped, placing her hand over her non-existent stomach.

"Wait," Jocelyn said cheerily, "You and Jace are seperated? Meaning divorce?" Clary could swear that Jocelyn's lip titched up to a small smile. But it went away as fast as it came. But hereyes were gleaming with happiness.

"No, not anymore." Clary relplied, happy that she had a reason not to divorce Jace.

"Are you sure? It would save lives." Jocelyn said.

"Mom, please go. You...are ruining my happy moment." Jocelyn huffed. Before Jocelyn could leave, she turned and smiled.

"I love you, and this baby. But I hate Jace. And if you love me, you will choose me over your pathetic bastard of a husband." she said, her voice soft. Almost as if she were reminicsing of a happy memory.

* * *

Soni heard the whole conversation between Clary and her mother, Jocelyn. Her and Dr. Fray were close friends, but she never would have guessed that she was pregnant, much less married.

Now she knew, and she wondered why she didn't tell anyone. Jace? She never heard the name before, it was strange.

"Clare?" Soni started.

Clary turned to look at her, her eyes glazed. "Hmph?"

"What does Jace stand for?" She asked, her voice a whisper, scared of what would happen.

She smiled warmly, her left hand going to a tattoo on her right. "It stands for Jonathan Christopher. My..." She breathed deeply through her nose, alomst like preparing herself. "My husband's name is Jonathan Christpher Herondale." she said softly.

"Like the paitent that was shot? The one I assisted on? The one you preformed surgery on?" She gasped, completley shocked and bewildered. She mentally cringed at the sight and thought of someone's spouse seeing and touching there insides, much like Dr. Fray and her husband.

"Yes, I know," Clary sighed in defeat. As if she was aceepting that she lost something. "I broke the rules by doing the sugery-"

"And you didn't trust anyone else to do the surgery?" Soni asked. _It's reasonable_ , she thought.

Clary shook her head, tears rimming her eyes. "No," she murmured. "It was much more selfish." Her voice cracked.

Soni furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding why she was crying. Clary, upon seeing her confused expression, continued. "I, I did it because I didn't want anyone to know that were were married." She sniffled, "I didn't want my marriage to ruin my career." She wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "And know the baby's father may not live because I was not strong enough to be in a relationship."

Soni was surprised. She always saw Dr. Fray - Clary - as such a caring and open person, but the news that she could be so heartless was shocking. "Clare-"

"And the worst thing?" She laughed bitterly, "He cheated on me!" Her eyes were wide, her mouth in a thin, fake smile.

And with that, Soni was dumbfounded.

* * *

The news was spreading around the hospital way to quickly for Clary's liking. When people pass through her room, they give her shocked and doubtful looks. She doubted that people would still trust her. That was her greatest fear. After a while, the fear of her marraige wasn't the problem, it was the lack of trust she would gte because she ddin't tell anyone.

 _If my own husband doesn't trust me_ , she thought esxasperated, _then how do I expect for anyone else to trust me?_

Clary's mind was racing. She was pregnant so she couldn't leave Jace. Jace was in surgery...again. Everyone practically hates her.

The only good thing,that she could think,of was that she was going to get updates about Jace's health. And she knew Tessa still loved and cared for her. And Jace, who was more important right now.

* * *

 _Two weeks ago_

 _Susan walked up the steps of the mansion. The man - Valentine - had many servants, but not much family._

 _She hadn't a clue why he wanted Clarissa Fray's bio when he was on the hunt for the detective, Jonathan Herondale. Who was lucky enough - for Susan - to have been shot and brought to the same hospital that she worked at._

 _She guessed that he had a feeling that Clarissa and Jonathan were connected, and right he was._

 _"Valentine," she said, bowing in respect to the man in front of her, waiting. "I have news."_

 _"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow._

 _"I found Jonathan Herondale. He is currently married to Clarissa Fray, surgeon at NewYork Medicare."_

 _She gave him files that she had printed._

 _He took them, and she stood up, searching his face as he read the files. He grinned. "I knew you were perfect for the job," he exclaimed. "She insisted that a man would have been better, because she thinks so, but, as i always say, a woman could do just as good as a man. And I was right." He clapped her on the back, proudly._

 _"Thank you, sir."_

 _"She will be elated to know this. We have the evidence know." Susan looked into his eyes and saw happiness and, unsprisingly, cruelty and a murderous gaze. As if he wanted to kill Jonathan, which he did. But she also saw something else: sorrow, hurt._ So he is human _, Susan thought._

 _"You were everything I needed," he smiled warmly at her before taking a gun out of his holster and pointing it to her head. "But now you are something I don't need and knows to much." He pulled the trigger and he smiled when he saw the blood drip down from her forhead. He couldn't wait_

* * *

Review if you want (It would make me very happy). Thanks for reading!


	6. A New Heart

"Mrs. Herondale-" A nurse started, coming into the room, holding a tablet. Clary knew that it held information on patients. This is what she hated. Right here: Somone who worked with her for years, calling her by her husband's name. She was not Mrs. Herondale. She did not depend on Jace or her name. She had built a life with her own; Dr. Fray.

"No." She snapped. "Dr. Fray." She crossed her arms over her chest (Or at much she could with the I.V sticking into her arm). She was laying in a hospital gown, in a bed, which was very comfortable, actually. But how she longed to be in her purple attending scrubs.

"Sorry." She corrected her self. "Dr. Fray, Jonathan is out of surgery, in the ICU, currently stable." She smiled warmly at Clary. Clary was confused; on one hand, she was so, so happy that Jace was stable, but she was disgusted that he had cheated. "If you want you can see him."

Clary nodded, even though she didn't even want to look at him. The idea of him cheating on her was horrible. She couldn't even swallow the idea of sleeping with another. She only wanted Jace, but, she guessed, he didn't feel the same.

* * *

When Clary saw him, all she could see was him naked in someone else's arms. It was gut-wrenching. Like someone was stabbing her in her stomach, repeatedly.

She placed her hands protectively on her stomach. As if she were protecting her - and Jace's - child from whatever was keeping them apart. Which, undoubtedly, was the both of them.

He was asleep, but Clary could visibly see that he was not calm or at peace. Clary yearned to reach out to him and soothe him, but she couldn't. She was frozen, except for her hands, which latched on tighter to her flat stomach.

"How is he?" Clary asked, hesitantly, as if she spoke too quickly or confidently it would wake him. And she was scared to wake him. Scared to have the cheating talk.

Truly, how many marriages survived cheating? And to add on to that, they were already arguing!

Clary couldn't trust her thoughts. Now when her heart broke to see her husband, who was oh, so vulnerable at that moment. She couldn't trust that she would not run and sob into his arms, then.

Almost as if it were the sun that blinded her, she turned away, hastily, looking at the nurse.

The nurse didn't speak, but her mouth was open slightly. "What? Cat caught your tongue?" Clary asked, sarcastically. After a short moment, she demanded, "Tell me what's wrong with him."

When the nurse was hesitant to answer her question, as if she didn't believe that Clary was actually married to the man on the bed, Clary said with an eye roll, "I know, surprising." She sighed, exasperated, "He's my husband. Married for better or for worse. Just tell me what's wrong with him." She all bet begged. But her voice cracked slightly at the end. It was so small. So small that only Jace would have caught the waver.

She bit her lip, thinking about all the times that she and he had cried, only to each other.

Clary wasn't as put-off with people as Jace - not for a long shot - but she didn't like seeming weak in front of people who didn't already know 'the strong warrior beneath the small, little girl', as Jace would always chuckle to himself whenever she slapped him for saying something inappropriate or rude.

Her small height was already disadvantaging, but like that would stop her from following her dreams.

"Um," the nurse started. "The surgery went well, he was able to go on Bypass, but his heart is failing and he may need a transplant." The nurse said, scared that the news would give the woman more stress.

Clary paled. _A heart transplant?_ Clary thought, worriedly. Clary knew Jace had a very rare blood type. So rare that it was very hard to get him blood transfusions. Good thing Clary had pulled some strings, and he got the blood when he was on the table the first time. But a heart; that was completely different.

"Do you have a donor?" Clary asked, hiding the pain in her voice, which, she thought, was so obvious.

"No, he has a-" she started to explain, but she already knew. She knew long before Jace was patient. Her mother really hated Jace, that was for sure.

"Yeah, yeah. He has a rare blood type and it will be hard to find a heart." She finished, her voice hopeless.

All of this was happening, and she couldn't handle it. Not a single bit. She hated blaming others because she understood that she had to be grown up. But her mother was an exception. Her mother had lot's to blame for her.

As Clary walked over to Jace, kissing his cheek, which made her feel all warm and complete inside. But soon after, she felt a distaste; someone else embedded in his skin. Someone else was on him, and she knew, scientifically, that it was wrong because he had been cleaned, but still she tasted it.

She just wished she knew who it was that slept with a married man. Her married man.

Turning away, she walked out the room, fully intending to tell her mother the _**joyous**_ news. She could just imagine the smile that she would try to hide, the way her eyes lit up in that murderous way.

Now that Clary thought about it, how did Jocelyn know to come here? She wasn't her emergency contact; Jace was. Tessa probably, Clary thought, brushing it off.

* * *

Clary was used to the running and commotion of the hospitals, but now, it was completely different. The halls were not full of chaos. The world wasn't going at hyper-speed. Instead, the world was going to slow.

All of it was hitting her hard in the face.

When she turned a corner to the waiting room, where she had no doubt that her mother was waiting there.

And she was right. Her mother was sitting in a chair, on her phone, texting someone.

She walked in front of her and her mother immediately stood up, enveloping her in a hug. Clary knew her mother loved her more than anyone in the world.

After her father, who was deemed crazy, committed suicide, Jocelyn became an alcoholic, fleeing the country, leaving Clary in a foster home.

She had foster parents who she loved dearly. Luke, her adopted dad, and his two adopted sons: Simon(Who later became her best friend and married Isabelle) and Eric, who got married a year ago. She and Jace went to Eric's wedding. She loved the both of them like siblings because they were.

Her dad had walked her down the aisle. Her mother stayed seated in the back, glaring at Jace.

Her mother explained, four years ago, that she left because she couldn't handle the loss of her husband, and she didn't want her depression to be spread to her.

She believed her, and it was true. Everything that Jocelyn did was for Clary.

"Mom," Clary started, her face indifferent. "I have happy news." Jocelyn's eyebrows raised, her face became hard.

"And what news is that?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is your prince charming okay?" She asked, spitting out the last part.

"Actually," Clary said, staring straight into her mother's eyes. "He is not okay. He needs a transplant." Her lips turned into a smirk.

"I'm not going to lie," Jocelyn said, her eyes unable to set on one thing, especially not Clary. "I am so, so happy that he has a chance to _die_."

Clary scoffed, "I thought you could be at least a little supportive." She rolled her eyes, walking away. "You should never have come here. You will never respect me, or my choices, and I can't have that."

Clary walked into the elevator, pushing the buttons to go up to the ICU. Clary leaned back in the elevator, taking a big breath. But she was quickly assaulted by her mothers call, "Clary, wait."

She opened her eyes to find her mother holding the doors open by her hand, which was being crushed by the almost closed elevator doors. The doors opened. She walked in, smoothing the wrinkles in her skirt.

"Yes?" Clary asked, impatiently.

"I may hate your husband, but I love you and your child. What this child needs is a father, even though I rather he send you money every month and he doesn't see you ever, but that won't happen. I am rich, and I can get whatever he needs." She said. Clary could visibly see the pain that she went through saying that.

"Really?"Clary asked, skeptically.

She nodded. "Yes, I'll do it. I just have to call some people."

Clary never loved her mom more in that moment. She was putting her petty hatred aside for her daughter.

* * *

The moment Valentine found out the news from Susan, he immediately told her. She was ecstatic. No one ever told her. They refused to.

And she was even more elated to hear that he had been shot. She cried tears of joy. Valentine only knew one other person who hated Jonathan as much as her.

Valentine didn't really hate him. But he pretended too.

Valentine hadn't heard from her in two weeks. He had gotten worried.

She had sacrificed everything for him. And he would the same for her.

So naturally, when he got a call in the middle of the night, he awoke to a start but grabbed the burner phone.

"Hello, my love." He said into the phone.

"Valentine, I need a heart. A heart for Jonathan. Make sure it's in the worst condition."(A/N: I have no idea how hearts or transplants work.)

"Why? We hate him. I know he was shot. He needs a heart, don't give it to him." Valentine asked confused, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Darling, Clarissa wants it. I know you don't care about her, but she is your daughter, I want her to have her world crumbled, but it's not our fault. That way she comes to us." Valentine could all but hear her evil sneer on the other end.

"Were a team, right?" Jocelyn said, softly to him. "I love you."

* * *

When Jocelyn came back in, she had a smirk on her face. "I'm getting him a heart." She announced, proudly.

Clary, looked at her, tears of happiness in her eyes, and gave her a hug, a tight one. Jocelyn savored it. She glanced at Jace, laying on the hospital bed, un-conscience, tubes coming out of his mouth and nose. She smirked, her eyes lighting up deviously. _Everything would work out just fine_ , Jocelyn thought, happily.

She was going to get a grandchild, a daughter who wasn't married, the man she hated - Jonathan - dead, and her husband.

The happiness surged through her, her hands tingling with the anticipation. She was snapped out of her daze by her daughters 'thank you's', that were being muttered out between her daughter's sobs.

"Thank you, mother." She sobbed. "All I want to do is live my life. I want to go to therapy with Jace and have this baby. I want to do surgery. I just want it all. And I almost lost it all." She sniffed. "But mom, you're giving it back. So, thank you." She kissed her cheek, her eyes red. She looked back at Jace and sat down next to him, kissing his head.

Jocelyn had no idea how her daughter could love such a _thing_. He was never good for her, much less now that he had cheated. But Clary seemed adamant about trying. That's one thing Jocelyn loved about Clary: She fought for the people and things she loved. She just had no idea why she loved him. She knew she wouldn't after she found out all the lies.


	7. Sun's rising

**Warning: This chapter alludes to and mentions sexual abuse!**

Clary had yet to inform Alec of Jace's state, she even forgot to tell Izzy, who was originally with her that day, dammit!. The thought made him boil. _Who forgot someone's family?_ He thought bitterly. And while they weren't blood-related, they were siblings.

Alec and Izzy were Jace's adopted siblings. Jace, when he was sixteen, had been fostered by the Lightwoods, a year later they adopted him. Alec and Jace initially weren't the fondest of each other. Jace really didn't like being around men - adults - being very hesitant towards their father, and Alec, who was 18 at the time; an adult. Jace didn't trust him. Jace was sure that when they were alone they would pounce him and do despicable things.

But once he saw that these people wouldn't touch him, he had explained everything. Both Alec and Jace shed tears that day. But Jace swore that after that day he wouldn't cry, not after realizing that he had found his family. They didn't hug or touch; No, the memories were too fresh, but he showed his vulnerable side, which had begun their friendship. Jace had first touched a man when he was twenty, two years after he told everyone, also two years after he started therapy.

The two weirdest things that happened to Alec was when he was twenty-two, Jace was twenty at the time. Jace had shaken his hand, randomly, one morning. Alec had stood there, shocked. Never had he expected it. And he was so _God-damn_ proud of him. Alec remembered the overwhelming pride that filled his chest when Jace touched him. It was also when he realized his feelings for him. He realized the sparks that rushed through him when Jace touched him.

The second weirdest thing was when he walked into Jace's room and Jace was butt naked, sobbing into a girls shoulder blade, being cradled by her, who was also naked. She had long long black hair and weird, strange blue eyes that were so entrancing. He had recognized her from the bar they went to occasionally. Alec no realizes that her name was Kalie, the only person other than Clary Jace had slept with. Jace and she were good friends from the start. ANd that's when it hit Alec: Jace had had sex! Alec shed a tear because he was so happy for him. But he quickly shut the door, feeling the green-eyed monster creep up his stomach and into his chest. How he wished he was cradling and soothing a naked Jace.

Now that Alec thought about it, he also attended the weirdest party that year. Izzy seemed to have learned that Jace had slept with a woman because soon after the incident, she through a surprise sex party for Jace. The whole family was there, his therapist, his friends - who all knew that Jace was abused in some way or form. All in all, Jace hadn't blushed, at all, whatsoever. Surprisingly, he looked...amused and thankful, showing his amused smirk.

So when Alec found out through Tessa that he was shot, he was furious that he was not the first person to know and be there for him, like he had been for Jace years ago. He had been calling Jace for two weeks, and he didn't respond. Neither had Clary.

So when Tessa told him, he called Magnus, who was out with their son, and told him he was going back to New York. He also told Magnus to stay, enjoy his time. But Magnus refused. He packed his bags as well. While Max, their son, was sleeping on the plane ride, Magnus had tried to calm Alec down. He was beyond nervous, as well as furious at Clary. Just the thought of her name burned his chest, his throat constricting. How could she not have told him? He was Jace's brother - _family_. Sure Jace had an actual brother, Will. Jace's father had raped Amatis Graymark, leaving her pregnant. But when Jace was twenty-five, he got in touch with Will, and now they were all one happy family.

Alec closed his eyes, breathing in and out, thinking happy thoughts: The past week with Magnus and Max, the plan of adopting again. But it hurt him to think of such a happy life, when Jace may not be there to celebrate it with him.

He gripped the airplane seat, his fingers numbing. What if he died? Would she have told him? Alec couldn't think like that. Jace was strong. He overcame so much. So, so much. Clary had made him strong.

If you had asked him years ago if he liked Clary, he would shrug and say "sure." She was like a little sister to him, but as much as he loved her, he had to protect Jace. From everything and anything. Even wives who refused to speak the truth.

He had thought that he hated her when she first met him, but it was just his tedious jealousy because he had a small crush on Jace, but that quickly faded once Magnus Bane showed up.

Now, he sees the petite girl as a tether for Jace, or at least she once was. Anyone - who knew Jace before her - could see she had opened his heart to love. But not just love towards others, but towards himself, which was exactly what he needed. And Jace had finally gotten that. He had self-respect for himself, now.

He remembered when Jace hadn't a had a spec of self-respect; When he "held himself up high"- Which he didn't. He never once did - He thought that no one would ever love him - not after the abuse he went through.

Alec had "loved" Jace because of his looks, and Jace knew it for years. Alec had learned that Jace knew the truth four years ago, at Jace's wedding. And at their wedding, Alec could see Jace's whole demeanor of life and of himself change in his body language. Clary's vows were so empowering to Jace, it made him see that maybe he was a good person, and not something to be pushed around like some slave. It worked out well, the wedding. Clary only wanted their closest friends and few family members to come because of the whole secret, and Clary also wanted her vows to be personal to Jace, so only the people who knew of his past were invited.

Clary was truly the best thing for Jace but at the same time the worst thing. Alec was so scared that the whole ordeal of Clary's secret would make Jace feel unwanted and he would start to wallow in his self-pity again. And that meant the therapist again. Jace had nightmares every week, and Clary would soothe him back to bed. He knew because Clary would call him after, when Jace was asleep, and tell him what happened. But it was just his luck that when Jace was truly unstable, Clary hadn't notified him!

Alec had been pulled away from his thoughts when he felt a pull on his sleeve. Max, who was between him and Magnus, was wide awake, looking around. Max was born with methemoglobinemia, a genetic disease that made a person's skin blue.

Alec, who was on the window side, looked out the window and saw land. He knew they were going to be landing soon. He couldn't wait to see Jace, even if he was dying. Hopefully, he didn't die because Max loved Jace so much, and he would be heartbroken to know that Jace joined Chairman Meow in heaven.

Sure, Alec was secretly happy that that cat died - it was far too annoying at night and day - but Max cried for so long. And that was a silly old cat, imagine! His uncle!

* * *

Clary was asleep on her cot next to Jace's bed. He was moved out of the ICU the day before, which gave Clary hope that he was becoming stronger. Her mother had gone home, where ever that was. Clary, honestly, didn't care that much where she lived. She never asked, and probably never will.

The cot wasn't that uncomfortable, really. She definitely preferred her bed or even the bunk-beds in the On-Call rooms.

She was sleeping soundly when she heard the door open and close. Which were followed by the sounds of footsteps. Two footsteps.

Groggily, she sat up, the blankets pooling at her waist. Her hair a mess, almost like a bird's nest. Clary, for a moment, was self-conscience about someone other than Jace seeing her so vulnerable and, relatively, ugly. But in that moment she didn't care, not a single bit. She tensed as he stood before her, glaring. _Damn it_ , she thought, scolding herself. She opened her mouth to say something, to apologize, but all the only sound was the raspy, short breath that came out of her mouth,

He looked around, sinking in the white, bare room, the machines that showed Jace's vitals. The light of the moon shining in from the windows and onto Jace's sleeping form. The beautiful moon made his face lighter, bluer; like an alien; so abnormally beautiful and interesting. He looked so much calmer, it shocked Clary.

According to a nurse, her beautiful, loving, deadly calm Jace had woken up hours ago delirious and acted, but Clary was getting an ultra-sound done. When she came back, he had been put to sleep. The nurses told her that he had woken up hours before, murmuring someone's name. The nurse didn't understand what he was saying. Then the nurse had said that Jace had started freaking out, shouting to get "her" out. The nurse had informed Clary that when she looked to where Jace was looking, no one was there.

To say Clary was confused was an understatement. To say Clary was worried was also an understatement.

Questions ran through her head, almost as if her mind was a race track and her questions race cars, trying to see what would what come first; trying to see what she would ask first. "What are you implying?" Clary spat out, angry that someone would think that Jace was mentally unstable.

"Nothing, Dr. Fray. Only that he had acted strangely." The nurse replied, nervously. Everyone in the hospital knew that Clary had a reckless temper.

* * *

Jocelyn smirked as she saw Jace laying peacefully in his hospital bed. The light from the early morning sun cascaded onto Jace's features. She admitted that he was attractive. The light made his already sharp and angular cheekbones shine and protrude more. The light stubble he had was even more attractive. Jocelyn didn't blame Clary for falling for the man's looks, but his personality was completely _broken_.

Jocelyn knew everything about the man. Knew that he was sexually abused until he was sixteen, which is when he was adopted by the Lightwoods. Mayrse and Jocelyn used to be friends but grew apart when Jocelyn married Valentine. Mayrse said that Valentine was crazy and evil. But what Mayrse didn't know was that Jocelyn was already crazy and evil. Or what Jocelyn liked to call it: Sacrificial. Jocelyn was sacrificial; that's what she told herself.

What Mayrse didn't know was that Jocelyn had bribed Stephen Herondale into sexually abusing his own son. It was disgusting, Jocelyn admitted. In the beginning, when Jace was only six years old, she ordered Stephen to rape him, but that same night, she cried into Valentine's arms. Then four years later, when both Jace and Clary were ten, Jia Penhallow, their neighbor, realized that Valentine was a drug lord and she called the cops. Jocelyn had convinced Valentine to fake his death and she would follow him. When Valentine asked what would happen to Clary she shook her head and smiled.

Clary was sent to live with Luke, a long lost friend to both Valentine and Jocelyn. His wife had died five years prior to when Clary came. Jocelyn and Valentine had got him through the death, and so in return, he took her in and for the rest of her life, they were family.

Jocelyn, every year, sent a letter to Luke, thanking him for taking care of Clary.

Jocelyn only wanted for Jace to commit suicide. See, Jace was the heir to Stephen Herondale company and Jocelyn wanted the money. She couldn't bribe him to give her the money because he had put it into Jace's account, but (A/N: I have no idea how banks work) she could make sure that if something were to happen to Jace the money would go to her, which was perfect. And if Jace committed suicide because of the sexual abuse that Stephen gave him, no one could collect the money but Jocelyn because Jace would be dead and Stephen would be in jail. She made sure that Jace was sent to the Lightwood's because she figured that Mayrse would push him over the edge with her cruel and strictness. But sadly, Jace fit in perfectly. He became Maryse's perfect son: always the tidiest, the most helpful, respectful.

But Jace trusted the Lightwoods, and he became a detective and survived the trauma that was his childhood. Not only a detective but one of the best in New York. So of course when there was a conspiracy that Valentine Morgenstern was alive, he was put on the case. And of course, he was married to Valentine's daughter. Which he knew. Jace knew who Jocelyn was, and Clary was oblivious to the truth. The truth that Valentine was alive, but Jace knew. Oblivious to the fact that Jocelyn was evil, which Jace also knew. It worked perfectly, really, for Jace.

Jace get's Clary's side of the story and can get a hold of Jocelyn at any time. Jace was perfect. He was put on the case because he supposedly had no ties to Valentine. Jace was literally the worst thing in Joceyln's life. And it was no longer professional; he hurt _Clary_. Her daughter was married and then hurt by the bane of her existence.

When Jocelyn found out Clary was marrying Jace, she rushed to tell her not to marry him. But her daughter, always the most stubborn, married him anyway.

And now, Clary was going to suffer when she never had too in the first place. If only she didn't marry him...

* * *

Alec had loomed over Clary for a few seconds before drinking in his surroundings. He made sure to acknowledge Jace last; it was too painful to see him so vulnerable.

As he saw how the silvery, metallic light shown on Jace's features, he remembered why he "loved" him; Jace was beautiful. The room was dark, very hard to see into. The only light, as said before, was on Jace.

"Clary," Alec heard his husband whisper to the disheveled woman sitting in the cot. "Are you okay?" Alec shot Magnus an annoyed looking, knowing very well that Magnus knew Clary was to blame for the whole ordeal.

Magnus shook his head, sensing his husband's distaste. "Biscuit," Clary scrunched her nose in disgust, hating the nickname. Magnus teased her relentlessly for her height and age, even if she was only a few years younger than Magnus. "While my irrational husband hates your guts at the moment, just know that you have my support.

Just then, Jocelyn walked in, asking Clary a question, "They didn't have pasta, but they had eggs. Is that okay?" Alec snorted at Jocelyn's cluelessness. Even he knew that Clary hated eggs. Jocelyn halted when she saw Alec and Magnus, and their baby boy.

"Why, hello. Alexan-" She greeted cheerily before being cut-off by Alec.

"No." He stopped her. "It's Alec for you." He said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. She rolled her eyes but started again. "Hello Alec," she said. She turned to look at Magnus, who was still knelt down in front of Clary. "Hello, Magnus." She said kindlier.

But Alec didn't care about her greetings, no. He cared for the fact that Jocelyn looks happy, put-together when everyone around her was a mess. And he knew that Jocelyn wasn't some strong beacon of light in the middle of a dark tunnel, but more like the dark tunnel itself.

"Cut the crap, Jocelyn." Alec accused Jocelyn, shotting daggers her way. "You don't give a damn for any of this, do you?" The sun was rising already, the room becoming clearer and lighter.

At least she had the decency to look shocked and hurt at his words, but he could see right through them. "What?" She exclaimed, exasperated, her eyebrow raised. "I care so much." She smiled at Alec, and he swore that she looked like a demon. The shadows that danced across the room, thanks to the ever-changing clouds, emphasized on Jocelyn's teeth, making them appear sharper. Her skin was grey, black, and three-fourths of her face was shadowed, making her look deformed. Her green eyes, that look beautiful on Clary, made her look like an alien.

Jocelyn walked to Jace slowly, confidently, in big strides. She caressed his face, kissing his forehead. Everyone looked at her in shock, examining her suspiciously as she acted so motherly. Something that everyone in this room doubted she had.

Never keeping his eyes off Jocelyn, he heard the excessive beeping of the machine's monitoring Jace's heart. His heart rate picked up at an alarming rate. Clary shot up her "bed" and ran to Jace's side, pushing her mother out the way. Nurses rushed in with a crash cart behind them. _Just in case_ , Alec reassured himself. It was hard working; He was freaking out, his own heart rate speeding. Jace really could die, Alec thought, his head spinning. He was suddenly claustrophobic. All these people around him- around Jace. He was sure he was going to black out, except that Jace shot up from the bed, clutching his chest, panting.

His eyes were wide, and he looked as if he were choking on his own hair. Alec felt his own heart squeeze. He looked around the room, examining who was in it. Clary was rubbing his back, soothing him. She looked so calm, but arms were slightly shaking - the only way to tell she was, indeed, freaking out.

When his eyes landed on Jocelyn his eyes dilated, and he glared at her, still panting. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jace never got the chance, for the next person who spoke was Clary: "Jace," she said softly a whisper. He snapped out of whatever daze of anger he was in and turned to look at Clary. She looked so small, Alec thought.

Jace bit back his comment, laying down softly on the pillows. His shoulders were tense, but Alec didn't care. He quickly forgot about his curiosity on what Jave wanted to say to Jocelyn. He figured it was just old 'mother-husband bickery, if that existed. He was just happy that his brother was alive and okay for the most part. Tears rimmed his eyes, and walked over to Jace and hugged him, gently, keeping in mind his vulnerability. And for those few seconds, everything was okay. Jace didn't even seem to care that Jocelyn was their, gazing at them intently, smirking at Jace.

 **Review! Thank you for reading!**


	8. New Found Hatred

There were so many things that made Jace mad or annoyed. But the biggest thing was when people he didn't know or didn't like, touched him. A lot of people think that because of his looks that he is/was a womanizer, and it was funny how wrong they were. Jace had only slept with two people in his life - Clary, and Kalie - not counting his rapist. He and Kalie were good friends for years before he confessed everything to her and slept with her. She was one of his best friends - which was why he cried on her shoulder afterward; the memories were painful for him - that was until he met Clary. Kalie had grown feelings for Jace after there many dalliances, and Jace didn't reciprocate them, ultimately straining their relationship for years.

So when Jocelyn touched him in the slightest, he freaked out. It wasn't even because he knew how dangerous Jocelyn was, he just couldn't handle it. And he had heard the whole conversation, letting him know that Jocelyn was doing this on purpose.

When he woke up and saw Jocelyn all he wanted to do was scream at her, yell at her for all the terrible things she did. He had found out that she had blackmailed his father into raping him for years. He had found out that she had manipulated her own husband into faking his own death and running off to be with him. He had found out that she wanted him to commit suicide for money. Jace believed that she was a monster with every single bone in his body.

The only thing stopping him was his love for Clary. Clary, who was building her relationship with her mother. Clary, who would be even more pissed for lying to her. Clary, who, he was sure, would choose her mother over him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts sharply when Alec had swooped in for a tight, but gentle in all the right places, hug.

* * *

"Could you please give us the room?" Clary said, abruptly. Jace looked over at her, his cheeks flushing as if he were embarrassed. But she knew otherwise; he was nervous.

"Sure, but don't be too long." Alec chuckled, "I need to catch up with my brother." Alec turned slightly, but before he left, he sent a hard look at Clary, and it was only then that Clary got a good look at him. She saw that his hair was sticking up in all different ways, his face was almost completely pale, other than the tear stains on his cheeks and the flush of his cheeks.

Clary felt immensely guilty for worrying him. He should have been the first person to be notified, not some lousy wife, who can't even be there for her husband. He probably had been freaking out the whole plane ride. And he dragged his whole family out, ruining their vacation.

 _Damnnit, Clary._

 _Ruining everything, like always._

She didn't even realize that everyone had left until she heard an abrupt cough come from Jace. _Jace was trying to get her attention_ , she realized, _to talk_. She didn't know what was scarier; talking to Jace or running away.

Mustering up the courage to face him-to face the infidelity-she took a deep breath, preparing herself. She turned to him, giving him a weak smile, that she knew he would see right through. It was pretty pathetic, the smile.

The whole damn thing was pathetic! Here she was, standing in front of her unfaithful husband, who had been shot, while she was pregnant, and she didn't even know it!

Clary always told herself, no matter what happened, that if she was with some unfaithful bastard, then she would drop him like the useless thing she no longer would care about her. Except she had also committed wrong. How could she blame-No, she could blame him, but he could blame her as well.

She would come home late, not being there for her husband, and she knew if that the situation was turned, she would be fed up and on the verge of divorce, like he was...

"Clary," Jace breathed deeply. She didn't know whether or not the difficulty of breathing was caused by the intensity of the situation or the situation of him needing a new heart.

Probably the latter, she shrugged. "I'm sorry." He shook his head, taking a deep breath, which she knew was because he was in pain. The golden halo that was his hair was tangled and messy. The tan-golden skin that he once had, had turned pale and ashy. His cheekbones were more defined, but not healthily, more like hollow. He looked so frail and limp. But Clary still thought that he looked like an angel-a vulnerable angel, and how is that not sexy?

Jace closed his eyes tightly as if he were in pain - Which he, again, probably was. "Jace, stop." She said sternly, wanting him to save his breath to recover quickly. But he must have taken it as her trying to stop him from explaining any more, and that she was done with the excuses. He opened his mouth to speak again, and his eyes met hers, and she saw how desperate and pleading they were. It was like all the light that was once in his beautiful gold eyes had drained away into an endless exhaustion. And sure, she didn't want him to explain (yet), but the reasoning was different.

"No, Jace," she shook her head, closing her eyes lightly, trying not to get frustrated with Jace's look of annoyance. She knew that he hated being told what to do. But she was a doctor - a fucking doctor! She knew what was best for him! "Don't talk. I want to talk, but not when saying one-word tires you. Not when the actual situation causes you physical pain."

"Clary." He pleaded. "I know, I _know_. I want to fix this. I do." He shook his head in anger, letting out an irritated "urgh".

"Jace." She said sternly, eyebrows raised. "Stop. We have to fix this. I know we do. I mean we have something important to talk about." She didn't want to have to tell him like this. Actually, scratch that. She never wanted the words to escape her lips, but alas, it did. She breathed deeply, scared of his response. She knew he would be happy. He would be. This whole ordeal had struck up another big fight years ago. Children.

"I'm Pregnant." She said, tears threatening to slip free. She waited for some sort of response; anything. She opened her eyes, feeling stupid for standing there, her eyes closed shut. She saw that he was looking at her stomach. Staring. He seemed completely unfazed by the information revealed.

He huffed, rolling his eyes. Clary was offended by this. _What was that supposed to mean?_

His arms were folded across his chest. " _We_?" He snorted a small, mirthless laugh. "Yeah, okay." He rolled his eyes, a bitter smirk played his lips. She saw it in his eyes.

"What do you mean by 'Yeah, Okay'?" Her eyes wide, her back leaned back in confusion, anger, and disgust. She took a step back, her sneaker padding with the floor.

"I mean," he drawled, his eyes droopy. "that there is no talking between us." He smiled, unamused, almost as if he were to spit on her. "You'll make the decision without _meaning_ to hear my opinion first." He grimaced as he opened his arms wide, but recovered, arching an eyebrow in a question, his hands motioning someone-me-towards him. She knew what he was doing; _Challenge me_ , the action said.

"I think of you." She defended. When did she not?

"Yeah?" He asked, showing a toothy smile. He looked like a beautiful serial killer, especially with the chipped tooth, Clary couldn't help but notice. "Like how I told you I wanted children, and you said, and I quote, "If I were pregnant people at work would know, and you know that would be a big pain for me. Answering questions."

"I did not say-" She started, but he stopped her with a hard glare. It was then, that she realized with a startling comprehension, that she saw no love in his eyes directed towards her. Not anymore.

It left her speechless, without a clue to say. What could she say to a husband who no longer loved her? Nothing, that's what.

"Really?" He broke his gaze, no longer looking at her, but at the white wall to his left. He bit his lip, refraining from saying something. She saw the internal battle that was going through his head. The way his shoulders tensed, or how the vein on his temple popped out, jumping at her-intimidating her. After a long, awkward pause, that sincerely scared Clary, Jace sighed loudly, defeated. "There is so much I want to say to you." He shook his head, sternly. "But I can't. Not without breaking your heart and taking away your hope. I can't. I love you, so I can't. And loving you is so _exhausting_." Tears prickled his eyes, which must have been contagious, for she felt her eyes water. At least he loved her, there was still hope.

 _Hope._ Faith and hope were all she had left.

"I want to keep it-" She cast her gaze to the floor, hoping that her statement made him happy. She was being selfish. Her reasons for not wanting a baby were selfish. She wanted one, but her job...

And Jace only wanted to feel loved, but she never gave him her full heart. Which is what he needed. He gave her the freedom to not want children, to keep their marriage a secret. She never did acknowledge how Jace must feel to the whole marriage-secret.

"It?" Jace scoffed, letting out an exasperated breath. " _I_ _t_ is a baby. In your uterus. I love you, and I want you to be happy, so abort the baby. Because you don't love it if you call _it_." She saw how much it hurt him to say he would support her decision. He, like always, was putting her wishes above her own. And she also knew that he didn't support the decision, not really.

"I am not aborting the it-the baby. I will love the baby. I will be a mother. I do love it. I want it. Please believe me." If he wanted it, she wanted it. Simple.

"You don't want it." He yelled at her. He groaned in response to his outburst. After a few seconds of Jace catching his breath, laying down on the pillow, he said, much calmer, "I don't want the baby to feel unloved. I know that is the worst feeling. I don't want you to resent your life, or the baby to feel unloved..."

"I do love it." It isn't that Clary didn't love it. It was part of her, but if she wanted it was different. "And I know that I want you to be happy, and you being happy makes me happy, so please." She sat down next to him, grabbing his arm. She looked at him, her eyes searching Jace's, asking him if she could touch him. He sighed, but nodded, scooting over to make room for her.

She leaned her head on his stomach, breathing in the two smells Clary loved, weirdly enough, they were perfect together; Jace and hospital. She would make it work, she could be happy with children, and she would.

"I just don't want to force you into anything you don't want..." He murmured softly, running his scarred fingers through her hair. She turned to look at him, but he would not meet her loving gaze, annoying her immensely. He kept his stare intensely on her hair, the one thing he could get so entranced him other than her hair.

"I swear," she sounded desperate. "I love it and we can raise it. The cat's already out of the bag, what's the big deal. I _want_ it. I want that life you always wanted it." She said with sincerity in her voice. "I want what you want." After a long pause, he tore his gaze away from her hair and to her eyes, that were waiting for him to look at.

* * *

Alec was pacing the halls, waiting for Clary to come out. He wanted to tell Jace that he and Magnus were adopting, again. He wanted to tell him that he would be an uncle again. No one - not even Magnus - knew that it was Jace who was calling in the middle of the night, complaining about Clary.

He felt the motion that someone was coming towards him, the movement in the air that meant someone was behind him. Magnus - always Magmus. He turned to see Magnus standing there. He gave a small smile, but it quickly faded when he saw his sister sitting on a seat, holding Max on her lap.

Magnus smiled softly before telling him, "Go," and gestured to his sister.

He leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek and whispered into his ear "Thank you", before walking off to sit beside his sister. She was bouncing her leg up and down, but Alec doubted it was to entertain the child on her lap, but more as a way to let out her worry and frustration.

Once Alec sat down on the seat next to her she asked, "What happened?". Her eyes were wide and anxious - unsettling. One eyebrow was raised a little, and she was leaned in slightly and very intently.

"Jocelyn," he sighed. Izzy scowled. Everyone knew how much Jocelyn and Jace hated each other, even if it was something as small as disrespect. Well, that's what he initially thought. There was something else. Jocelyn always looked at Jace the same way, but ever since last year, Jace has looked at her with an unwavering anger and disgust. Something that seemed to go back for decades even if he only knew her for a few years.

"She is a bitch." Izzy nodded, covering Max's ears with her shaking hands, which, he just noticed, have been shaking the whole time. "What did she do?"

"She kissed Jace's head." He hissed.

"Does she even know about Jace and his problems?" She spat out.

"I don't think anyone told her." He shrugged. "I know Jace didn't tell her, for obvious reasons. And Clary wouldn't tell him if Jace didn't want her too. I didn't." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't?"

"No!" She exclaimed. "Have some faith." She scoffed.

"Okay, then if Magnus didn't or anyone else didn't, then how did she know?"

"The Mysteries of the world." Izzy rolled her eyes, doing jazz hands. After a long pause, she turned to Alec and asked, "When can I see him?"

"Clary is in the room right now," He kept his mouth in check but he couldn't help but get the twinkle of amusement in his eyes when he said, " _talking...privately_."

Izzy pressed her lips into a tight smile, trying not to burst out laughing or she would wake the, now, sleeping child in her lap. "Mmh," she nodded, "talking." She said slowly, her eyes pulled upwards faintly in amusement and delight. Her face broke out into a grin.


	9. A Mother's Cruelty

Everyone was in the room - even Jocelyn, much to Jace, Izzy, and Alec's dismay. Jace was laying in the hospital bed, his back reclined, nodding at the doctor's information. Clary was next to him, holding his hand, fiddling with his fingers to distract herself. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Her heart was racing at such an alarming rate that she was nervous for her and her baby's health. She knew she had to calm down fast.

Jace, on the other hand, was completely unfazed by the news that he could die at any given moment. It was something he had already grown accustomed to, letting him being able to accept the possible fate. When he was younger, he expected that his father would get tired of him and kill him. As a detective, working in dangerous spaces 24/7, he expected that he would get shot at some given point. So really, the thought of dying - especially on a bed, surrounded by the people he loves(excluding Jocelyn) - doesn't seem _that_ bad.

Clary stopped fiddling with his fingers and instead started playing with his wedding ring, which matched the one she recently started wearing.

"He needs a heart transplant," the doctor said. "Without one, he won't survive." His voice was so grim and compassionate that it sounded _genuine_. But Clary knew - they all knew - that it was a ruse.

Izzy was the one to speak up, breaking the silence. "And why can't he get one?" She asked annoyed, glaring at the doctor.

"Because," Jocelyn interjected, stepping out of the corner of the room she had been in for the whole time. "He has a rare type of blood type."

Clary's gaze traveled from Jace's hand to her mother. The doctor gave his attention to her mother, a little hesitant. Slowly, the doctor said, "Yes," he looked at Clary and Jace again. "Jonathan has a rare blood type that is hard to match. Ab-negative; only about one percent people in the world have it." Clary wanted to scream. She knew all of this, of course. She had performed surgery on him. They were lucky that the hospital had a few pints of Jace's blood type at the time or he would have died. But her knowing that didn't stop the turmoil that happened in her stomach and chest as the information was actually confirmed.

Clary nodded in understanding. "Dr. Fray," the doctor acknowledged. "I'm sure you knew all this, already." Clary nodded again, forcing a smile on her face.

"Yes," forcing a huff of laughter to lighten the mood, she said, "I'm sure it was a surprise to find out I was married."

The doctor chuckled, awkwardly. "Yes, yes it was." They fell into silence, and for once in Clary's life, she wished she wasn't a doctor - she wished she didn't know these people personally.

The doctor walked out, leaving the room silent once again.

Jace looked up at Clary and smiled, a dazzling one. One that made her forget everything that was wrong in their relationship. Made her forget that the chances of him dying were very high.

Forget her mother's disapproving glare from across the room.

"I love you, Clary." He said, grasping her hand. He risked a glance at Jocelyn, who was smirking at him, her eyes glistening.

"I love you, too," she replied, giving him a sad smile. "How did everything get so messed up between us?" She snorted out a laugh.

"Clare," he grinned up at her. "We've always been messed up." Clary actually laughed, shaking her head in amusement. Maybe - just maybe, they'd be okay...

* * *

Alec, at this point, knew he wasn't going to get the chance to catch up with his brother like he had originally wanted to. He could see it so plainly written on his face; the way he grasped Clary's hand, as she were the only person that mattered at the moment to Jace. How he could see in his smile that he would only want to comfort her, only wanted her. The way his gaze stayed on her, most of the time. How he had shut everyone out except Clary, and Jocelyn.

If this was happening a few years ago, Alec would have felt resentment towards Clary, and jealousy. Know, all he felt was anger at the world.

His brother didn't deserve this, or anything else. He deserved happiness, like what he got with Magnus and their child.

Sighing, Alec nudged at Izzy, who was looking out the window intently. He knew she was thinking. It was raining now. He didn't need to look, he could hear the comforting sound of water gently pounding on the clear-glass window.

Izzy gasped in surprise when he touched her on the shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "What?" She asked, rolling her shoulders back. Her jaw was locked sternly and her gaze was indifferent - bored almost. He knew that she cared deeply, she was just pretending that she didn't.

"We're going to wait outside-" He started, glancing towards the door, but she rolled her eyes.

"-Again." She made a grunt and got up, stretching her back and stalked out the room. Her heels clicking against the tiled floors. Alec saw Jocelyn smile as Izzy walked by her. Jocelyn rose an eyebrow at Izzy.

Izzy pointedly ignored her, walking by her. Her hair, which was in a ponytail, swung. Jocelyn watched as Izzy walked out the door, her own hair in a high ponytail. She glanced at Alec, waiting. Alec truly thought she was like a snake. Something venomous behind the beautiful patterns of her skin. Alec followed Izzy, and Magnus swiftly got up, realizing everyone else was leaving. He eyed Jocelyn before smiling at her, then walked away, making silly faces at Max, who was in his arms.

Once Alec was out of the room, he waited to see if Jocelyn came out, as well. But she didn't.

Alec sat down on a chair, sighing. He really needed a drink at this point. Before Alec could process it, Magnus was in front of him. No words were needed. He smiled gently and handed him, Max. Max, the one person who could take away all his troubles in one second. And he did.

"My sweet little Blue-berry, how are you?" Alec asked the boy, and in response, he smiled back.

"Good." Alec, for one second, forgot everything. Smiling down at his son, his husbands comforting hand on his shoulder.

Only once did Alec look up, and he didn't look down again afterward. Jocelyn walked out. It was evident in the way she stood and the way she didn't have a smirk on her face that she was angry.

"Stupid boy," he heard Jocelyn mutter, bitterly. "Should have died long ago." Her arms were crossed and she was breathing heavily. Her jaw was locked and her nose flared, her whole face was red.

This sent alarm bells ringing in his ears. Something was wrong, Alec was certain. He couldn't believe that she would actually wish death upon someone, especially her daughter's husband. Her grandchild father!

How far did their hatred go? And Why?

* * *

All Clary wanted to, besides be with Jace, was punch her mother in the face. _Who says that?_ Clary thought, exasperated. _Who actually offers that idea?_ Clary found it absurd and crazy. All she felt towards her mother was anger.

She replayed her mother's words over and over in her head. " _Maybe it would be best if you stop trying - stop wasting your time - trying to help him, and spend your time mourning."_ Her mother had said. " _Do you honestly think there's saving him? That there's a reason to do so anyway?"_ She asked, amusement apparent in her voice. As if she thought the idea of hoping that Jace would get better was preposterous!

Jace hadn't relented in voicing his opinions, though. " _Yes, yes I do think there is a reason,"_ Jace argued. Her mother had simply raised an eyebrow at him as if asking him to challenge her by continuing. Clary glanced at her husband and then her mother as they had a silent argument between one another, one Clary was completely not apart of. She watched silently as the fire in their eyes increased by the second. " _Yes,_ Jocelyn _, I do think that there is a reason for me to try - to hope. Or did you forget?"_ One thing Clary loved about her husband was how calm Jace could be in a situation that called for him to be that way. And he certainly had to play it cool when tempting her mother. And it wasn't any different in this situation. He played it cool, drawling out his words, teasing her slightly. Much like a lion; something Clary always compared him to.

" _My_ child _. Which currently grows in my wife's stomach - your daughter's stomach."_ Jocelyn's face remained indifferent, bored. " _You of all people should never wish upon someone's child that they grow up fatherless. Never wish that anyone has to raise...their child alone._ " It stung. Jace's words had stung. But she knew he didn't mean it, that it was just a way to get to her. But what she didn't know how _much_ it would get to her. " _Oh wait, you didn't even raise Clary alone because you didn't raise her."_

Clary had wanted to grin at the way her mother's face turned red with anger. And she absolutely loved how the anger and realization that she lost flared in her eyes.

Clary looked at Jace, who was staring intently at Jocelyn. She could see the pride, amusement, and happiness in his eyes.

His mouth had pinched together. Honestly, only Clary and a few others would be able to read all those emotions so clearly off his face.

She had been able to hear her mother's heavy breathing. Heard the way she sucked in a breath and released it, shaking. She also heard her mother storm to the door, muttering slightly. But she couldn't make out the words because of the heart monitor that started to beat faster.

She quickly looked to Jace, whose eye was closed and his mouth parted slightly. His head was thrown back against the pillow, his breaths were shallow.

"Jace,'' she asked, her eyes wide. She grasped his hand, holding it to her chest. _Get it together_ , she told herself. _You have been in much more dire situations, this is just like any other time!_ But it wasn't like any other time. She doesn't know what changed - how she could ever operate on her husband, sane!

Clary decided she that she would blame it on the hormones. His Blood Pressure continued to rise at an alarming rate. Doctors rushed in, and Clary knew she had to step aside. She had to think like a doctor, even if she wasn't the doctor necessarily, in this case, she couldn't be the emotional wife, but the understanding supportive companion. So she stepped back, breathing through her nose as a way to steady her.

Clary readied herself. _This could be it_ , she thought. She could feel the tears in her eyes seep through her closed eyelids, threatening to stain her cheeks. The only reason that they didn't fall was because she was startled out of her daze of sadness by the intrusion of Izzy, Alec, and Magnus, who rushed in. Somewhere in the back of Clary's mind, she thought of Max. She wondered where the boy was.

"What happened?" Alec asked.

"What's going on Clary?" Izzy also asked at the same time as Alec. Both siblings were boring holes into her head, forcing her to release what happened.

"Biscuit, are you okay?" Magnus asked.

Clary just continued to watch the doctors, in any other situation she would be doing the same thing as them. But it isn't another situation, she had to remind herself.

* * *

They had stabilized him, putting him in a self-induced coma. Clary sat Jace's bed, staring down at his hand like if she tore her eyes away from him he would slip. Which he very well could; something that pained Clary to admit.

Alec was perched on the armrest, his eyes closed, head leaning against the white wall of the hospital room, nodding his head every now and then at the doctors' words, telling everyone that he understood - or maybe that he wasn't paying attention and he wanted it to seem like he was. Clary truly couldn't tell the difference. They were friends. Just they weren't close friends.

They wouldn't go have lunch together whenever they felt like it; that was Magnus or Izzy. They wouldn't call each other complaining about their spouses; that was Izzy and her. They _would_ go to each other for advice sometimes.

In this situation, they would hug each other if Jace died. They were the ones who loved him the most - not that Izzy didn't love Jace very much.

"He needs a transplant soon. Really soon. He was bumped up to the top of the transplant list." The doctor smiled sadly at Clary. "There isn't any more we can do for him but wait to see if they find a donor..." Clary understood.

"Thank you," she told him, biting her lip.

Clary looked around for Jocelyn. Maybe, Clary thought, this time she could be helpful.


	10. A Foe's Revelation

Clary knew she should have gone to her mother long ago. The minutes passed, then hours, then days, and she still hadn't seen her mother. The Doctors came in every few hours to update them on Jace's condition - which hadn't changed- and tell her the position of the donor's heart; which they still didn't have.

As much as it pained her heart, she knew she had to speak to her mother about helping her, but it was so hard. Clary couldn't trust her mother whatsoever. There was something that both Jace and Jocelyn were hiding from her. She certainly couldn't ask Jace, and her mother. . . well, she didn't want to confront her just yet.

Clary hugged her arms to her chest, closing her eyes and listening to her steady breaths. She truly had to calm her racing thoughts, it was bad for her baby.

But as much as Clary knew how bad these stressful thoughts were for her and her baby, she welcomed these distractions into her head. They clouded the fiery pain that flared in her chest everytime she thought of when and how her husband had been shot. With her husband's health repeatedly getting better and then deteriorating, she had forgotten all about Jace's infidelity. At the thought of him fucking another woman, her fists curled, her nails biting into her skin.

The worst part of the fact that he cheated, for Clary, was that she knew who it was - at least she had heard of who it was - and Jace had promised that he would never be with her again.

Jace had only been with two women in his life, Clary knew; Kalie and herself. While Clary never met Kalie, she knew how big she was in her husband's life. And Clary was just as angry as Kalie as she was with her husband. What human being sleeps with another significant other when they God-damn well know that they are taken? Clary thought angerly.

Not being able to sit around and take this treachery, Clary got up and walked out the room, and past Alec, who was watching her, and Izzy, who had Max laying on their laps. She didn't even notice that Magnus wasn't there. She didn't notice Alec move Max's feet off his lap and get up. She didn't notice him call her name.

She simply walked to the reception's desk and asked about Kalie's room.

* * *

Alec noticed Clary walk away. Noticed how she walked to the receptionist desk. He stood up and called out to her, but she ignored him.

Shrugging it off, he figured this was his time to visit his brother.

Looking back at his sister and son, he walked in the room. He looked around and saw Jace, lying lifeless on the bed. His tan-golden skin seemed to glow against the white and light blue hospital sheets and blankets. His whole body seemed to illuminate against the entire room, Alec noticed, his eyebrows quirking up a little in surprise. The one thing that seemed off about this picture, Alec realized alarmingly, was how _broken_ and _dead_ his brother looked. He had enormous shadows under his eyes. His skin on his face was tightly stretched over the sharp angles in his face.

If Alec saw Jace like this a few hours prior, he knew he would feel that now old, warm feeling swell up in his chest, that Alec only ever got now when he was with Magnus.

Now all Alec felt when looking at his brother was anguish. After all that time spent getting to know each other and love each other, it could be thrown all away. Alec felt anguish for that. Alec felt sadness for the fact that Jace would never meet his child, that Alec's future niece/nephew would never meet their father. That his own children would never bond with their uncle. . .

Alec wondered when his brothers suffering would finally end. At least, Alec considered, if Jace were to die, then he would suffer no longer. But Alec wasn't all too fond of the idea of his brother dying.

Alec found it a little strange to see Jace with a feeding tube. He looked so helpless, it pained him. Alec knew that if Jace saw himself like this he would be revolted. He knew he would say some rude retort at the sight of anyone like this-anyone except Clary.

At that moment, Alec was thankful that he didn't have a feeding tube. He felt very relieved and a little proud that he could go eat some chips. Alec didn't feel remorse for the thought, though. He knew Jace would go get the chips and eat, smirking.

Alec chuckled and went to grab a bag of chips.

When he walked out into the hallway once again, he saw Izzy, still scrolling through her phone. When was the last time she ate or worked? Alec thought to himself. He also saw Max his head resting on her thighs. His eyes closed, his lips parted slightly. Alec smiled when he saw that he was drooling slightly on Izzy's black jeans.

He walked to the vending machine, deciding to get him and Izzy a snack.

Turning a corner in the hallway, Alec saw someone - a woman - walk away from the vending machine. She was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses, but Alec found the outfit strange for the fact that she wore stilettos.

She dropped something - a dollar, Alec guessed - and when Alec reached the machine, she turned, glancing at him, but he couldn't get a look at her. She walked passed him, slamming her shoulder into his ribcage, not enough to hurt, but to know she did it on purpose. He looked back at her as she rounded the corner.

What an assortment of choices, Alec thought pleased, he could hear the grumble in his stomach. He knew Izzy liked almond chocolate, but he couldn't find any, much to his disappointment. Sighing, he pushed in the numbers for a bag of pretzels for both him and Izzy.

He turned the corner and walked to Izzy, who was still on her phone.

"Here" - He dropped the bag in front of her face - "you go." She glanced up at him and mumbled a groggy 'thank you'.

"How's Max?" Alec said, bending down to kiss his child's head.

"Great! Did you see Jace yet?" Izzy asked. "I'm pretty sure Clary walked out at some point . . ."

"Yeah, I did." After a pause, he shook his head, his voice cracking, "He doesn't look very good, Iz. . ."

Izzy didn't say anything, just smoothed back the hair that fell onto her nephew's forehead. Alec took this as his cue to go back to his brother.

Before he entered the room, he opened the bag of chips, savoring the taste of food. He entered the room, the door opening silently.

When he stepped in, he saw the girl from before in the room, except she wasn't a girl she was Jocelyn. She was talking on the phone.

Deciding to stay silent, he listened to what Jocelyn was saying. To tell the truth, Alec had forgotten all about Jocelyn.

"Yes," Jocelyn snapped. "He is still alive." He heard a few voices from the other line, but couldn't make them out. "And the money? It's mine when he dies? He hasn't touched it?" Alec couldn't hear anything, but he heard Jocelyn clap her hands together in joy. "How wonderful! I don't think I say this enough, but I love you, Val."

 _Val?_ Alec didn't know Jocelyn had family outside of Clary. Actually, Alec didn't think Jocelyn was capable of keeping someone around long to consider family!

Alec cleared his throat, alerting her of his presence. She whirled around, stumbling on heels, that Alec still found ugly paired with her pants and top. She gave a tight-lipped smile, that obviously didn't reach her eyes. Alec heard the line going dead. "Alexander," Alec visibly cringed at the sound of her venomously smooth voice saying his full name, that was reserved for Magnus, and Magnus only. "I didn't hear you come in. I was just calling some friends about what they could fo to help poor Jace. . ." She nodded her chin at Jace's limp body on the bed next to her.

Alec nodded hesitantly. They stood there in silence, the only sound was of Jace's breathing through the tube and the beeping of the machines until Alec asked "What do you have that could help Jace? And why would you help Jace? You two have the worst relationship I have ever seen!"

"I may not care for Jace, but I care for Clary - she's my daughter!" Alec actually felt a little sympathy for the woman at the way her voice broke with desperation at 'daughter'. "I want her to be happy, and I will do almost anything, for her."

"You are certainly doing a wonderful job at being there for her, you know with dumping her at your friend's house." He rose an eyebrow at her, bitter amusement clear in his voice.

"I left _for_ her," her nostrils flared. "You have no idea how hard it was to leave her - and my son? " She sounded mad. "You think it was easy to leave my last living child behind? It was better for her!' Tears rimmed her eyes.

"If all you want is for her to be happy, why do you hate Jace so much?"

"I don't hate Jace, he hates me certainly," she gave a bitter chuckle. "But I don't. There are just - things that are greater than hate, love, and morals."

* * *

It was times like these that Clary was truly grateful for her position and relationships at her job - not that there were ever times like these.

She opened the door to the Kalie's supposed room, and peeked inside, where, unsurprisingly, Kalie lay, flipping through the channels, a remote in her right hand, the same arm with her I.V.

Clary entered the room, knocking on the wall to send notice. Kalie let her in, muting the volume on the T.V. "Hello," Kalie said when she saw Clary, her voice light and pleasant. So different then what she probably used on Jace, Clary thought, fighting the urge to burst out on the woman, who very well knew that Jace was with someone else.

Realization dawned on Kalie, her smile slipping off her face, replaced with a frown. Not a remorseful one, or an angry one, but a confused one. "You must be the woman who screwed my husband. I'm Clary, but I'm sure you knew that already."

Kalie sucked in a breath, giving a weak smile."How could you sleep with someone else's man, knowing that they were taken? I thought there was some sort of universal girl code?" Clary gripped the end of her bed.

"There are more important things then that stupid code. Like helping out a friend, who obviously needed some affection, which he obviously wasn't getting from _home_. That's the code I follow, the friendship one."

"Our views on friendship are very different," Clary murmured, her grip on the end loosened.

"Well, I wanted to help in the way I knew how; In the way that I knew he needed. And I am sorry, because no one deserves pain like that; betrayal. Which, be the way, was what your husband was feeling, for the past few years," Clary sighed at her statement, knowing she was right. But still, Clary reasoned herself, that was no right to cheat. "What we did was wrong, and out of all the years that you have been married and we hung out, we never went behind your back except that one time. And, we got our karma." She gave a sour laugh.

"And besides," Kalie added when Clary stayed silent. "Do you know how hard it for someone to love the person who indirectly caused them so much pain? To love the person who looks almost identical to the person who _did_ cause them so much pain?"

Clary, who had looked away to look out the window, snapped her head at Kalie, her brows furrowed together in confusion, herself rendered speechlessly. "What - What do you mean by _that_?"

"Your mother, you look like her." Now Kalie was confused. She knew that her mother caused his abuse, Kalie though perplexed, right?

"How does my mother tie into this?" Clary was distraught, confused out of her mind.

"Your mom, she caused his abuse. Everything. He's been working on your father's case for years. He shared a lot of information on how Jocelyn has tied everything. I thought . . . you knew."

Clary couldn't believe it. Her mother . . . her father was alive . . . Jace knew. A sob escaped her throat, her whole world crashing down upon her. Everything she knew, had been a lie.

She couldn't stop sobbing, they kept racking her body, making her weak all over. She slowly walked to the bed and sank down on it, tears streaming down her face. How could she be related to someone so horrible, how could she look like her? Clary thought, clawing at face with her bitten-down nails. Distantly, she felt the other girl's hand on her shoulder. Reassurance, Clary guessed.

* * *

Clary, Alec, Izzy, and Max were in Jace's room, Simon had stopped by to give his condolences to Clary and Izzy, but both Izzy and Clary snapped at Simon for saying "I'm sorry for your loss", stating that he wasn't dead yet. Tears had rimmed their eyes, and now their eyes were puffy. Clary was thankful for that, because she could pass the redness as irritation from before, not from the revelation of what her mother had done, which she was going to speak - scream - to Jace about when he woke up and was healthy.

Simon, seeing the distress he had caused, had apologized instantly, pulling Izzy into a hug and kissing her hair. Clary had to admit; she was jealous that Izzy had her spouse and she didn't.

Clary was tremendously happy that Jocelyn was not here, or, and Clary knew, she would yell at her, and that wouldn't solve anything. She had to talk to her mother, milk it all out, and then go to the police.

So, here they all were now, listening to the news that the doctor had to deliver; good news, the doctor claimed - really good news!

" - a match has seemed to magically appear," the doctor smiled widely. "Which is amazing! And super rare. He'll need to into surgery _right now_."

The doctor handed the papers over to Clary, who spent no time in signing them before handing them back.

* * *

Clary watched as they wheeled Jace on his gurney passed the NO ADMITTANCE area, tears streaming down her face. Wiping her tears, pretending that she didn't see her husband get wheeled away for a very delicate surgery, she turned and walked into the elevator, pressing the floor number which Jace's room was located at.

Before it reached her floor, it went down to the first floor. Clary lost herself to the elevator music; soft Jazz. She was so lost in it that when the elevator door opened she didn't even notice that a man was standing right in front her. He had black hair, combed back, and blue eyes, that Clary would have find stunning if she didn't already think gold was already stunning and the most beautiful thing. He wore a black coat and dark blue jeans and dress shoes.

Clary broke out into a sad grin when she realized who it was - Will Herondale, Jace's brother. Once seeing the realization in her eyes, he opened his arms wide and she hugged him. "Will," she murmured into his chest.

"Hey, Clare." He stepped back, mirroring the smile she had given him seconds before.

They stood in the boring and tiring Jazz music, distracting them. The elevator dinged and the doors opened at Jace's floor. "So, what are you doing here?" Clary asked looking at him as they walked, Will following her, even though he had no idea where she was going.

"Well, when I have to find out from my wife, over the _phone_ , that my _brother_ was shot in the chest and was in a coma - "

"Medically induced coma," Clary corrected.

Will continued, rolling his eyes, his lips twitched up at the side. "tomato, tamato. I had to come and see him!"

"Will," Clary sighed, shaking her head. "I am so sorry that I hadn't told you. It's been so stressful! He cheated," Clary pointed out first, running her hands through her hair. "And then he gets shot and I find out I'm pregnant! I totally forgot about Isabelle and Alec, too, don't worry!"

"Clary," Will out his hands on her shoulder and looked down at her sternly. "I would slap my brother if he wasn't so _unhealthy_ , and I get it. And congrats!"

Clary snorted at Will's honesty, but it fell short to think about how Jace was, in fact, so _unhealthy_.

"Where is my brother, anyway? And where are we going?"

"They just took him to surgery, they found him a donor. Which is a miracle!" Clary said, nodding towards the elevator.

Will remained silent at the news that Jace had been taken to surgery, and Clary knew what he was thinking: What if I never get to say goodbye?

* * *

Clary was hunched over the hospital toilet, panting. Morning sickness is a pain, she thought. Groaning, she fell back on the wall of the stall, refreshing in the coolness.

Once she hauled herself up, she flushed the toilet and walked out the stall. When she washed her hands, she couldn't help but look at herself in the mirror and be disgusted. It wasn't because she thought she was ugly - she was fairly pretty - it was that she looked remarkably like her mother. She heard the bathroom door open and close. Clary looked that way and saw her mother. Speak of the devil, she thought, biting back a sneer.

They stood in an awkward silence, none daring to speak. But finally, her mother did, "Are you okay?"

Clary laughed. "Are you serious?" Jocelyn looked confused. "Of course not! I look like _you_!"

Jocelyn looked offended, she leaned back as if she had physically been hit. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She ignored the question, her voice cracking. "How could you?"

Jocelyn stayed silent for a few seconds but then sighed. "You found out."

"How could you do that to someone? To a _child_?"

"I did it for you. And for your father." She said nonchalantly.

"My father? He-he is dead." Clary asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"He faked his own death and has been living in secret, me with him."

"And you sent those who tried to murder Jace." Clary reasoned.

"He cheated on you! He had to die for me to get his money. It works perfectly!"

"I can't. I can't even look at you, right now." Clary pushed past her mother, wiping her tears.

 **A/N: There are one or two more chapters to go in this story. Thank you. P.s I don't know any medical terms and I made stuff up about banking in this story, I think.**


	11. For every three shots, there is one miss

"Izzy," Clary said. "Do you know where Alec is?"

Izzy looked up from her phone, stroking her nephew's hair. "No, I haven't. Last I saw him he went to Jace's room," she said nodding towards the door that lead to Jace's room, opposite to where Izzy sat.

"Thanks," Clary said, giving a small smile. _Izzy's great with Max_ , Clary thought, smiling internally, _she'll be great with Jace's and I's child_. She rubbed her flat stomach, excitement, and warmth spreading through her chest quickly, her heart jumping inside her ribcage.

She walked to Jace's room and she saw Alec sitting on a seat, talking on the phone. Clary remained silent, allowing him to finish his conversation. It was almost impossible for her to keep quiet - she needed to rant. She would have preferred Jace, but that wasn't an option currently.

Alec looked up and gave a small smile. He ended the call, raising an eyebrow at her. "Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"My dad is alive." She blurted it out, not being able to hold it in. "And - and my mom is . . ."

Clary saw how Alec tensed at 'my dad is alive.' She didn't know why, but he seemed to care. "What's your father's name?" He asked her, suddenly sitting up and grabbing hold of her by the shoulders. He had a hard gaze as he looked down at her, chilling Clary. She had no idea why Alec wanted to know her father's name.

"Valentine Morgenstern. Why?" Clary asked, sitting on a chair slowly, but with much worry.

"He's alive?" Alec breathed. Relief seemed to wash over him. "It makes so much sense now."

"Your mother," Alec started, but Clary knew it all. She knew what he was going to say. "She - "

"I know." She cut him off. "My mother is hiding my father. And my mother - s-she is the reason for Jace's sexual abuse." It was still a shock to her that her own mother would do that to a child. That her own mother - the person who raised her - had done _that_.

Alec's eyes widened and his face paled. "Your mother?"

Clary nodded. "Why does it matter?"

"You mother did it. He _is_ alive. And your mother - she was it along. Under our noses."

"What are you talking about?" Clary asked, getting annoyed.

"We knew he was alive - or where ninety-nine percent sure - and we have been looking for him," Alec explained.

"And I didn't know about it?" Clary tried to remain calm but was failing.

"Jace . . . he didn't want you to know . . ." He looked down at the floor, looking ashamed. Clary's annoyance grew to anger. She placed her hand on her still flat stomach, trying to soothe herself.

She gave a tight-lipped smile. "Why? Why would he hide that? Did he not trust me?" Anger turned to hurt.

"Clary, I don't know why he wouldn't tell you. He said he never wanted to,"

And Clary didn't know if it was hormones or not, but tears started to pool in her eyes and dribble down her cheeks, "Why didn't he trust me?" Clary asked. Alec didn't answer, knowing it was rhetorical. "I mean, my marriage is failing," she sobbed, "my husband doesn't trust me," another sob, "he cheats - "

"Jace cheated?" Alec was shocked. Never would he have ever thought that Jace would have been unfaithful!

She nodded, wiping her tears. "And I find out from the other woman that it was my own mother! Why didn't he tell me?" She yelled.

Alec didn't know what to say - couldn't say anything, for that matter - so he got up and sat next to her, on the very edge of the chair, where he was very likely to fall off, and wrapped his arms around, comforting her in the only way he could think of. Of course, there was the issue with Jocelyn working with Valentine, and everything she did, but, Alec decided, he would deal with them _after_ she cries on his shoulder.

* * *

"Valentine," Jocelyn whispered over the phone, her voice harsh and not betraying any of the panic and worry that she was feeling on the inside. "Clary knows!"

When she didn't hear anything on his side, her panic increased, wondering if he had been arrested. But she had quickly dismissed it. They still didn't know their location, and besides, they don't work that fast, Jocelyn reasoned.

"Jocelyn," Valentine said slowly. "I know you won't like it, but . . . "

"What?" She snapped, not liking the secrecy in such a dire situation.

"Anyone who knows must be . . . killed. Even Clary . . . " Jocelyn heard him swallow.

" _No_ ," Jocelyn screeched. "I will _not_ lose another child!" Tears prickled her eyes and her chest hurt at the thought of her young son being buried in the ground . . . it ripped through her, almost making it impossible for her to conceal her gasp of agony.

"Jocelyn -, " he started, but she stopped him.

"I know, I _know_. But I can't. We have to convince her," she begged. Rivulets of tears were traveling slowly down her face.

"How do you expect that? The heart wasn't your's, it was anonymous, which means it's healthy," Valentine reminded his wife.

She sighed, knowing he was right. Any thought of Clary joining them had died when Clary found out the truth. Even if Jace died, which was still something Jocelyn was very keen on doing, Clary would never forgive her for two reasons:

1) She killed her husband.

2) She caused her husband to be sexually abused.

"I'm killing Jace. He . . . I have sympathy for him, but he stole my daughter and ruined her, and he survived the abuse!"

"I know you want to kill him, I do, but is it the right thing? Can't we just flee? They'll catch us anyway," Valentine knew this was over. It was over the moment Clary found out. Clary had probably already told one of her detective friends. Valentine knew the best thing to do was to kill Clary, Jace, and Alec - maybe not Alec, if he loved his husband enough.

"I know, it's the best option, but I can't. Knowing he is alive, I can't . . . he broke Clary's heart," Jocelyn had to do it. It wasn't fair that he got away with it all and she would run away.

* * *

Clary was sitting in a chair in the Waiting Room, her leg bouncing up and down and she fiddled with her fingers in anticipation. Not knowing drove her crazy! There were so many things that could go wrong, Clary knew, she had seen all those bad outcomes herself.

She also couldn't help but have the desire to do Jace's surgery. She hadn't had done surgery in weeks, and it drove her crazy. Some people got restless and horny for sex, but Clary got horny for surgery. Surgery left her exhausted and 'high' most nights, causing her to refuse sex. And Jace was fine with the fact that she wasn't in the mood some nights (sometimes he wasn't in the mood. Sometimes his past was too much for him to handle and he couldn't handle her touch him). But when she wasn't in the mood for several days, and sometimes weeks, it had caused problems between them. It wasn't that Jace suspected that she cheated, the affair only being accused once throughout their whole marriage, but he got frustrated and insecure with himself.

At the thought of doing surgery, she felt a pang of guilt. She shouldn't want to perform surgery, or even be thinking of it. She should be thinking of her husband, their happy moments, which, now that she thought about it, had become scarce in the past few months. The realization hit her like a train.

It wasn't just the phone number that had made him so adamant on the idea she was having an affair, but the fact that she didn't spend any time with him.

She was so deep into her guilt and revelations that she didn't even notice a doctor - another friend of Clary's - walk up to her, a small smile on their lips. Gulping, Clary looked up at the women, scared to hear the news that it hadn't worked, that he rejected.

"It was long and difficult, but we're closing up now and he seems to be taking in the new heart. But we won't know anything certain until he wakes up," the doctor said.

Clary let out a breath of relief, which she certainly knew she was holding - scared that if she took a breath, Jace would lose his last one. "Oh, thank God!" She got up and hugged her friend. "Thank you, thank you, so much!"

"Of course," she chuckled.

Clary had tears in her eyes. _Everything's going to be okay,_ Clary thought, the warmth that the thought of hope gave her spread through her body. _We'll be okay. We can get past this._ She had to tell everyone - Tessa, Mayrse, Robert, Alec, Will, Izzy, and Simon.

* * *

The first thing Jace felt when he woke up was the feeling of something on his arm, cutting his circulation to his hand short, and two, that he couldn't open his eyes. So you could say he wasn't completely woken up, but the anesthesia was wearing off at least. He could hear the beeping of the machine on his right and the sound of a door - his door - opening.

Then he heard the sound of a yawn, and the thing that was on his arm was gone, and with it, his inability to feel his hands. That's when he realized that the _thing_ that was on his arm, wasn't a _thing_ but a person - his wife, the realization slapped him on the forehead. _Wow_ , Jace thought, _anesthesia sure make ya' stupid_.

"Good morning _,_ Dr. Fray," the nurse - Jace guessed it was a nurse - said. He could practically hear the bright fake smile in her voice. "Just here to do vitals."

He felt something press down on his middle finger, and then the sound of a pen on a paper. After a pause, the nurse said, "Everything's looking good. I'm sure that you're keeping track of his vitals, just tell us if anything concerns you." She then walked out, he figured, for he had heard the sound of a door opening and closing.

Once the nurse was out, he felt the touch of one of the only people he would ever feel comfortable of being touched by - Clary. She placed her hands on his cheeks, stroking his cheekbones with her thumb. "I love you, Jace," she said as her thumb ran over his lips. Jace felt the warm tickle that ran through him when she touched him. "And when you wake up and better, we will fix this marriage because I love you. I am so, so sorry."

Jace wanted to wake up right then and there so badly for he could tell her that he loved her as well and that it wasn't her fault. He wanted to tell her the truth - that Jocelyn, her mother, was at fault. He had no doubt that Clary would be furious for not telling her, but then she would be revolted with her mother.

She kissed his head. "I don't know why you didn't trust me enough to tell me that my _mother_ did this to you. Why didn't you tell me, Jace? Why didn't you tell me about my father?" Jace could feel the tears that ran down her face for they had landed on his face. He'll admit that he was mildly disgusted.

"Sorry!" She said, realizing that his forehead was wet with her tears. She took the bottom of her long sleeve and wiped his forehead with it. All Jace wanted to do was wake up so he could explain it to her. Explain that - she was right - that he didn't trust that she would stay with him after him revealing the truth about her mother. That he didn't want to ruin anything.

He would have understood. If someone told them that they hated his mother and was the reason for their trauma and that she was an evil bitch (as Jace always thought of Jocelyn as) then he wouldn't want to see them again, to look at them, and sure as hell wouldn't believe them.

* * *

After a few minutes of trying to pry his eyes open, he succeeded. At first, it was all a blurry faze, everything blurred together, and his eyes drooped constantly. But once his eyesight cleared, he willed his surprisingly heavy arms. The slight movement had woken Clary up, who had fallen back asleep with her head mattress.

"Jace?" she asked groggily, lifting her head to look at him. He turned to look at her, giving a peaceful grin. "Clary," he croaked out, his voice cracked and unable to make a sound because of the breathing tube down his throat.

"Don't try to talk." She said, pressing a button that signaled for a nurse to come in and take the tube out - he obviously didn't need it. "You have a breathing tube down your throat, but a nurse is going to come in and take it out, seeing as you are able to talk."

He nodded, smiling at her. She reciprocated the smile, guiding his hand to her still flat stomach. Jace was so happy that his Clary was pregnant with Clary. _Soon_ , he thought _, I'll meet my child, and Clary and I will be happy_.

"Feeling okay? Your chest super sore?" She asked. The worry was apparent in her voice. He shook his head. "Good. Good. It means your body isn't rejecting the new organ. It mean's your going to be okay," she ran her fingers through his hair. "It means we'll be okay."

A nurse came in asking what the matter was. Clary told her that Jace was breathing over the tube and no longer needed the machine. The woman smiled brightly, telling her, "This is great news! A fast recovery."

The nurse came over, and in a few minutes and two cups of water, Jace was talking clearly. "Clary," he said taking her hands and kissing her wrists. "I am so sorry. I didn't trust you, and in the end, it's all my fault."

"Jace," she murmured. "I know everything that my mother did. That my father is alive, and that you were on the case. I know. So, why not tell me?"

"I didn't trust you. I was sure you wouldn't believe, or worse, leave me." He finally admitted, looking down, ashamed with his declaration.

"Jace, you need to have faith in my love for you. I would have believed you," she looked at him in the eyes, but then quickly looked away, not wanting him to see the doubt in her eyes. "At least I'm pretty sure I would have."

"I know. I get it if you didn't believe me. I wouldn't have believed myself," he chuckled.

"I love you," she whispered, kissing him softly on the lips.

"I want you so much," Jace whispered, pulling away slightly to look her in the eyes.

She grinned, raising an eyebrow. "No sex, sorry. Besides, I bet it's too painful to move, let alone have sex," she laughed.

He groaned, throwing his head back. But he knew she was right. His whole body felt weak with a physical exhaustion that he hadn't felt in years. His body, sore to the core.

"I'm going to go tell Alec that you're awake. I'm sure you guys have to talk about regarding your case . . . "

She turned to walk out the door but he called out, "Hey, Clary." She turned to look at him, smiling. "How did you find out that Jocelyn . . . caused it all?"

"I had a little heart-to-heart with Kaelie," was all she said. He had been rendered speechless and shocked. He couldn't believe that Clary had a civil conversation with the woman he had cheated with!

* * *

When Clary found Alec, she hugged him tightly, smiling into his chest. "He's awake!" She screamed, which was thankfully muffled by his t-shirt.

"Really? That's fantastic!" Clary looked up at him and she was able to see the smile on his face.

"You better go see him." She patted her stomach. "I'm going to go eat. The cravings are kicking in, sadly." He nodded, smiling again.

They both started walking, both going the opposite direction until Alec paused and turned around. "Have you seen Magnus?"

Clary turned his way, a puzzled expression on her face. "No. Have you tried calling him?"

Alec glared at her, but it was lighthearted. "No!" He put his arms on his hips and mock shock, he said, "I hadn't thought of that!"

She rolled her eyes, grinning. "Fine, that was a stupid suggestion, but he's probably just wandering around, giving life advice, as Magnus tends to do,"

Alec laughed, he couldn't have agreed more! "Your right," he nodded, chuckling. "I'll go see Jace, now."

He turned around to walk towards Jace's room, but stopped again, "Hey, Max is still with Izzy, right?" He looked worried and a little panicked.

"Yes. She's sitting their, letting him sleep. It's adorable," she gushed, her hand coming up to her mouth to cover the smile on her face at how cute it had been.

"Thanks, wouldn't want to have lost him like I had done with Magnus," he said walking to Jace, finally not asking her another question.

* * *

"So," Alec asked, pulling up a chair beside Jace's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?" Jace asked, looking down shyly. He sighed, wincing slightly at the pain. "I feel like utter shit." He coughed.

Alec gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about me. Clary is always worried, it is not good for the baby," Jace didn't know why, but it felt awkward to mention his baby. He didn't know why, he just didn't want to talk it about it, whatsoever.

"How you dealin' with that? Knowing you're going to be a father? Meeting this child, raising this child?" He rose an eyebrow at the smiling blonde.

"I am so excited that I'm going to be a father, but thinking how . . . a parent could be manipulated into doing what, well, what my father . . . did to me." He closed his eyes as the memories flashed before his eyes. "It's sickening, and I'm scared that - "

"Stop." Alec held up a hand, shaking his head, his eyes closed. " _You_ will never do that. Jocelyn, Valentine, and your father were sick people, and you aren't."

"But - " Jace tried but Alec stopped him, gently placing his hand over his mouth.

"Let's stop talking about this. Let's talk about the fact that we have the case cracked." Jace nodded, smiling. "Let's also talk about the fact that you withheld very important information from the government for _years_."

Jace's face paled. "You wouldn't - "

"Of course I wouldn't tell anyone. Clary's our witness." Jace breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you are going to tell us where Jocelyn lives, because Valentine and Jocelyn live with her. So, you tell us and I'll get a warrant." Alec pulled out his phone, opening notes, typing in the address.

* * *

After getting the warrant, Alec and four others had knocked on the front door of the house. When no one entered, Alec spoke loudly, "I'm Alexander Lightwood, from The NYPD, and we have a warrant giving us permission to search and arrest anyone residing in this residence." When no one answered the second time, he turned the door's knob, hoping it was open - it was.

Alec motioned the rest of them silently. They took out the guns, but they were still locked. They searched the house, but no one was in any of the rooms. But it was obvious someone lived here. More specifically, it was evident that Valentine and Jocelyn lived here; pictures of Valentine and Jocelyn were hung up. Paintings signed by Jocelyn Fray were hung on the walls. Alec found himself smiling - _so she was able to love,_ Alec concluded.

Alec had spotted a door at the end of the dimly-lit hallway. Alec knew they had to be in there. The residence was a mansion, with many rooms and places to hide.

Opening the door, Alec took gentle steps down the stairs. What he found was shocking. It was big. A mini layer, you could say. There was furniture decorating the room. Rugs covering the floor. There were a fireplace and a bar in the corner. Candles everywhere, as well as lamps. It was very cozy, Alec had to admit.

"I knew you would come," came a voice from the corner. He stepped out of the shadow, and only then did all four men realize that that was Valentine Morgenstern. "I knew you would come to arrest me."

"Where is Jocelyn Fray?" He shouted. He smirked, eyes twinkling.

"Where do you think?" He said. "Completing the one thing she always wanted; Jace's death."

Panic flared in his chest, but he quickly let it be overpowered with anger. "Hands in the air or I'll shoot," Alec yelled. The three other men aimed their guns towards him.

"I don't think you'll shoot me, because if you do, you'll be a widow," he chuckled.

"Wha - " Alec still had his gun out but was confused. Then, Alec had snapped his fingers and two men came out. One Alec had recognized immediately as his husband. The second he had no idea who he was. All he knew was that he was holding his arms behind his back, tied, and his other arm had a gun to his head.

Valentine looked at the man, raising an eyebrow. "Any of them shoots and you shoot him, isn't that right?" He asked the man. The man smiled sadistically, nodding his head.

"So, who will it be?" Valentine asked, cocking his head to the side. A smirk played on his lips.

Alec's hands shook as he aimed at Valentine. He glanced at Magnus, who was looking at him with an encouraging smile. Unshed tears in his eyes. He nodded his head once. Alec shook his head, tears forming in his eyes.

"Do it, Alec. It's the right thing to do. I love you. And I love Max - tell him that. Tell him that all the time." A tear slipped down his eye.

"I love you, Magnus," he shook his head. He saw Valentine's smirk fall. Small satisfaction burned in him. He glanced at the man, who faltering, knowing that if Valentine got arrested he would too.

In a second, with no hesitation or room for doubt, Alec aimed the gun and shot. And sadly, two sounds of a pistol sounded.

* * *

Jocelyn kept the gun safely hidden in her bag, where no one looked. She went up to the front desk and asked, "I'm visiting Jace Herondale?" She said. Her red hair was let loose in waves. She wore a green blouse and dark blue skinny jeans, along with converse - she was dressed normally; average.

"How are you related?" The receptionist asked, her voice a monotone.

"I'm his mother-in-law. He was shot and had a heart transplant," she gave a convincing sad smile. The receptionist nodded, telling her the room number and floor.

"Thank you," she said warmly.

When she Jace's floor, she smiled and said hello to all the nurses and doctors, all unsuspecting.

She slowly opened the door to Jace's room. He was asleep, Jocelyn saw. Smiling, she went over to kiss his forehead and hug him, like weeks ago, but quickly thought against doing it. If his heart rate picked up greatly, then nurses would run and check on him, and she did not need that.

She had to be quick, in fear of Clary walking in. So she spoke loudly. "Jace."

It had startled him out of sleep, yawning and opening his eyes slowly. His eyes widened and he was now fully awake. He gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd stop by, say hi - _kill_ you."

If he was scared, he didn't show it on his face, but she knew he was. His heart rate had increased on the monitor. "Jocelyn, I have never done anything to you. Why are you doing this?"

She sighed, pulling out her gun. "Jace, I don't hate you. I don't. You just have everything I want, and the only way to get it all is to kill you."

"Jocelyn, please." She shook her head.

"I am sorry, I am. You didn't deserve any of it." She looked down. "I cried the night I manipulated your father into . . . doing what he did, you know."

"If you were sorry, you wouldn't let your grandchild grow up fatherless," he tried to move his hand to the help button, but she caught him.

"I'm going to kill you before you call for help," she decided, aiming the gun at his head. Just at that moment, Clary walking in smiling, looking down at two yogurts.

"They only had strawberry Jell-O and - " She gasped, dropping the yogurts at the sight of her mother aiming a gun at her husband. Startled by her daughter's intrusion, she shot the monitor instead of Jace's head. Jace quickly pressed the help button, but nurses were already running into the room upon hearing the sound of a gun being shot.

A nurse had called security and security guards rushed in, arresting Jocelyn immediately.

Clary had run to Jace, Jace ignoring the sharp pain in his chest as he held a crying Clary.

* * *

 **That was the last chapter of _After a Love Story in an O.R._ Thank you so much for reading this story and following it. Meant so much to me. **

**There will be an epilogue to the story.**

 **Thank you and good night!**


	12. Epilouge

"How are you feeling today, Jace?" the marriage counselor said.

Jace glanced at Clary, who sat beside him smiling. "Happy," he answered.

"Good," she smiled softly. She addressed Clary. "And you, Clary? How are you feeling?"

"Great, a little sore from the baby, but good," Clary reached to intertwine her fingers with Jace, much like Jace tried to do during their first session together, and he had been denied. Though, Jace let it happen, smiling.

"Yes!" She clapped her hands together. "How's the baby? Three weeks old, right?"

"three weeks, yep." Clary laughed. Jace grinned, thinking of his child.

"When are you going back to work?" The counselor asked, picking up her pen and pad.

"In two months, about," she said, nodding her head, but still with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Great. She jotted down something down on the paper before she looked up and turned to Jace, asking, "When do you go back to work."

"Also in two months," Jace nodded.

She jotted something else down. "And, Jace how do you feel about Clary going back to work in two months?"

"I'm happy. Working is something meaningful to her," he grinned at Clary. The words were too true. A year ago, the words would have been programmed, but now he said them with so much earnest.

"Great." the counselor smiled. "Clary, a month ago, Jace said he had gotten coffee with Kalie, and you cried. Did you discuss like I said you had to?"

Clary nodded, rubbing Jace's knuckles. It was true - little more than a month ago, Jace and Kalie went to get coffee when they bumped into each other on the street. When Jace admitted it at their last session, a month ago, Clary had started crying tears of anger. And when they got home, Clary ignored him. But after a week, they talked. They had made a lot of headway.

"Yes, we did." Both Clary and Jace nodded.

"Jace," The counselor said. 'When was the last time you spoke to Kalie?"

"Two weeks ago, Clary knew about it. I told her."

"And Clary, how did you react when you found out?" The counselor readied her pen and paper.

"Calmly. I hadn't felt jealousy, which I had communicated to Jace," the counselor eyed Jace in question, who nodded his agreement.

"It's true." Jace kissed Clary's hand. "She smiled and asked me how it went. I couldn't believe how calm she had been, so I asked if she was mad, and we talked."

"How wonderful! So you trust him?" She asked cautiously.

"Yes, I do. I'm not angry anymore. I trust him. I trust that he won't see Kalie and sleep with her when we argue. I think we are better at communicating now and that we aren't so fragile."

"I agree. I don't feel like a back burner anymore, definitely. If I do . . ."

"He tells me," Clary finished. Jace nodded.

"How is it at home, with the baby?"

"Good. We're so happy." Jace said. "I feel complete."

"Yes, our family is now perfect. We were stressed, a little frustration with each other, but at the end of the day, we're happy."

There was silence as the counselor jotted things down on her pad. When she looked up, she said, "Everything seems to be doing well. I think that when you start working again, I'd like to see you and how you're doing. But aside from that, you're doing well. Communicating and trust are strong. Good."

"Besides Jace's weekly therapy session with his therapist, I don't think you need any more help, of course, there will be that checkup in about two months," she explained, nodding at them, confirming her plan. They nodded their approval.

"Great!" She stood up as Clary and Jace stood up. She smiled warmly, holding out her hand to shake. "See you again in two months."

They nodded, Jace, taking Clary's hand as they walked out.

* * *

"How is my baby?" Clary asked, holding up the infant, who just started. Her eyesight didn't go far and she was tiny. She also hadn't developed the ability to smile at that point, but to their family, she was adorable.

Alec smiled sadly at the pair, pain, though, was all he felt. He was going to adopt a baby. His son, Max, was going to have a sibling and two loving parents. And now, he wasn't getting any of it. The thought still brought unshed tears to his eyes.

Even though it had been had a little more than seven months since Magnus died, the death still was agonizing to Alec. And the night that he went back to the hospital to personally deliver the news of Valentine's death, he also told them that Magnus had been and shot in the head and died on impact. He remembers when he told Max the news. The child was confused, but then he started crying, crying out for 'papa'.

And when Magnus's funeral arrived, there was a rainbow, which had made Alec smile, knowing that he would have wanted color.

A small part of Alec was bitter and held resentment towards Jace and Clary jealous that Jace lived and they had their happy family. But then the bigger part of Alec was relieved and thrilled, now knowing what he would have done if he lost his best friend, brother, and husband, all at once.

"I think Max wants to see her," Alec chuckled from where he sat on the couch. He had been babysitting the baby while Jace and Clary went to therapy.

"I think Max saw her enough today while we were gone," Jace said playfully, his voice faking blame, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"That would be true if he hadn't taken a nap the whole time," he quirked an eyebrow at Jace. Jace grinned, huffing a "fine' before he handed her over to Alec, who showed her to Max.

"So," Alec said, cradling the baby in his arms, looking down at her, "what's her name?"

Jace and Clary looked sheepishly at each other. "We haven't decided. We can't come up with one . . ."

Alec chuckled. "Get on with it, seriously. You can't just keep calling her baby,"

"Who says we can't?" Jace asked, defensive.

Alec gave him a look. "Fine," Jace said.

Rolling her eyes, Clary said, "We'll get a name in one week, okay?"

Alec was okay with that answer, nodding his contempt. Changing the subject, Alec asked, "How was therapy?"

Jace and Clary intertwined their fingers, smiling. "We're good. When I go back to work in two months, we see her again." Alec looked confused.

"Why when you go back to work?"

"Will, me being a workaholic was what caused such big problems," Clary explained.

Jace nodded, but added, "Not that our problems were all her fault, of course."

"Will, you guys seem happy. Even without the baby,"

Jace looked confused. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why wouldn't we be? It's not like we're together because of our baby," he defended, malice clear in his voice. Alec was shocked at how harsh Jace sounded.

Instantly Jace regretted it, shame masking his face, and he bobbed his head. Clary explained, "He started two new medications last week. Blood thinners and Pain medication. One of them seems to be causing a change in moods,"

"Sorry, Alec," Jace said, looking at Alec, giving a sad smile.

Alec smiled, "It's cool, Jace. These medications keep you healthy. No biggie," he shrugged.

Alec looked down at his phone, glancing at the time. "I better go. It's almost time for dinner, and Max gets cranky." Max who was playing with a car, looked up when Alec stood. He, too, stood, picking up his car. He took Alec's outstretched hand and followed him out.

* * *

"So, you should know," Clary said, coming out of the nursery, buttoning up her blouse after feeding the baby. "That Simon and Izzy are coming over for dinner."

Jace stopped cleaning dishes and threw his head back, groaning. "They were over three weeks ago,"

"Yeah, and three weeks ago the dinner was cut short because I went into labor," she rolled her eyes. She came up behind him and kissed his back.

He turned around, ducking his head so he could kiss her. She moaned into his mouth. He pulled away before it got out of hand. "Three more weeks until we can have sex again," Jace whispered. "Those will be the longest three weeks of my life,"

"Don't worry, It's horrid for me too." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "See, you get rid of your sexual frustration by hitting the gym. So, you come home all sweaty and attractive, and you strip your shirt off, and I can't touch you." She kissed his cheek. "It's actual torture."

"Hey, are you visiting your mom next week?" Jace asked once he resumed doing the dishes.

Clary shook her head. "No. I went last week, and that's the last time. I wanted her to meet the baby."

"Why is it the last time?" Jace said, turning around and leaning on the counter to look at her.

"Because that woman isn't my mother. I can't look at her and love or like her, knowing what she did to you. I can't."

Jace sighed, biting his lip. They stood in silence for a few moments, Clary making the table before Jace sighed again. Clary looked up at him, her eyebrows raised.

"If you try to convince -" Jace raised his hand, motioning her to stop.

"No. We have to name baby," Jace said, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "It's tedious to just keep calling her baby."

Clary nodded, shrugging. "I have nothing. You?"

"Maybe," he said shyly.

"What?"

" . . . Magnus." He waited for her opinion. When he didn't hear anything, he looked up at her.

She was grinning ear to ear. "I love it," she went up to hug him, smiling in his chest. "It's genius. And Alec will love it, I know it."

"We can tell everyone next week," Jace said, kissing her forehead.

An hour later, at seven o'clock, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Clary called, rushing towards the door to greet her friends. "Hey," she smiled, hugging her friends upon seeing them.

"Hey- Where's the baby?" Izzy said, scanning the living room.

"Thanks, nice to know you want to see me," Clary said, laughing.

Izzy looked at her. "I want to see you, but I want to see my niece more," she admitted. Clary gasped, hugging Simon, who rolled his eyes at his wife.

"Walk the hallway, first door on the right," Clary said.

Simon walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Hey, Clary," Simon said, looking her up and down once she sat. "How is raising a baby?"

"Hard, but so rewarding," Clary gushed.

"Really?" Simon inquired.

"Why?" She said cautiously.

"Because I want a baby, but I'm nervous," he glanced away from her.

"That's great, Si,"

"Shh," Simon whispered. "Izzy doesn't know I want one,"

Clary nodded, smiling, "How exciting! You have to talk to her."

"I am, I am. Later tonight, I think."

"Good," she breathed. She hated secrets, especially since Jace's secret.

"So, you and Jace, how are you doing? With therapy?"

"Wonderful," she said sincerely, sighing. "I think after everything, we are stronger. We have gone through hell, at this point. We can survive anything." Simon nodded, agreeing.

Soon, Jace came out, Izzy following. She looked irritated. "Your husband is a prick," she muttered to Clary, sitting down.

Clary asked, "Why,"

She sipped the wine that was already poured. "He wouldn't let me wake the baby,"

Clary winced at the thought of her waking up. "Good that he stopped you. She doesn't sleep."

"Who cares," Izzy huffed. "I want to meet my niece."

As they ate, they all had small chats. And every now and then, in between the laughs and snorts, the jokes about Clary sleeping on the couch when they first came home instead of Jace (Jace needed the room for the hospital bed and machines, and Clary was to hurt to sleep next to Jace), the sad smiles about the days of their lives, and how they couldn't wait to live more of those days, Clary and Jace looked at each other from across the table and smiled. One word transferring in between one another; _I love you_.


End file.
